
Political challengers in Algeria are sounding the alarm over a presidential election scheduled for 7 September, which will see incumbent Abdelmadjid Tebboune seek a second term in office. It comes five years after he was elected in a vote widely rejected by the opposition.
Prominent opposition figure Louisa Hanoune, the leader of the Workers’ Party, this week withdrew her candidacy, citing “unfair conditions”. Her party will boycott the vote entirely.
Hanoune, who entered the race two months ago, denounced what she alleged were attempts to exclude her party from the race and prevent voters from choosing freely between parties.
In a press release, she stressed that democracy depends on respecting fundamental freedoms that allow people to voice their will. Hanoune, 70, stood in three presidential elections between 2004 and 2014.
During 2019 protests that culminated in President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s resignation, she was imprisoned on charges of conspiracy against the state and military. After spending approximately 10 months in detention, she was acquitted and released in May 2020.
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