The president of Algeria has announced early parliamentary elections set to take place on June 12, as part of his government’s efforts at addressing demands of pro-democracy protesters whose protests ousted his predecessor.
President Abdelmajid Tebboune had announced last month that he would dissolve parliament to open the way for a new batch of candidates from outside the power structure. In the same month, he also ordered the release of 59 detainees of the protest movement known as Hirak in an apparent bid to stop demonstrations that first broke out on February 22, 2019.
The elections were originally scheduled for 2022, however, Tebboune decided to move it forward. And according to the statement put out, this election will be followed by local elections for mayors and town councillors. Tebboune also pledged that the election would be free of corruption, and would “open the doors of parliament to young people,” adding that they “must have political weight.”
In another effort to satisfy protesters, Algeria’s government finalized a new electoral bill aimed at limiting corruption and giving voters more choice. The bill pushes more power to the Prime Minster and parliament, possibly allowing for the people’s needs to be effectively addressed. The last legislative election in 2017 was marred by financial scandals that eventually sent several top officials to prison.
The Hirak protest movement forced Tebboune’s predecessor, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, to resign in 2019 after 20 years in power in Algeria. And while Tebboune has made certain changes, there are still doubts surrounding the current and upcoming power structure.
Hundreds of students and pro-democracy supporters have continued to demonstrate in Algiers, demanding a sweeping overhaul of the ruling system in place since Algeria’s independence from France in 1962, and an end to the military’s domination of the North African country.
“Our fight is clear, it is against the current power. They have dismissed the people, so we are dismissing them in our turn. These elections do not concern me, I will not vote under these conditions, I will not vote as long as this power is in place. I will vote when we have the rule of law, I will vote when my voice really counts because for the moment it is not the case, says Maassoum, a 22-year-old male student.
