How Abdelmadjid Tebboune extinguished the protest to ensure a new victory

Since coming to power in 2019, the outgoing president has not hesitated to repress his opponents and restrict press freedom. The favorite in Saturday’s presidential election, he has every chance of remaining in power.

A predetermined election. In Algeria, around 24 million voters are called to vote on Saturday, September 7, for a presidential election without any real stakes. The outgoing head of state, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, is indeed considered the clear favorite to succeed him. Aged 78, he is supported by four leading parties that have sealed an alliance, including the former single party FLN (National Liberation Front) and the Islamist movement El Bina. Facing him are two shadowy adversaries.

While a period of electoral silence has been observed since Tuesday, franceinfo looks back at the repression organized by the head of state since the beginning of his presidency in 2019, until arriving at this election without any suspense.

The former prefect was elected in December 2019, in the midst of the pro-democracy Hirak movement, in an election largely ignored by 60% of voters. Abdelmadjid Tebboune initially sought to overcome the hostility of these protesters who managed to oust his predecessor Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power, with the help of the powerful army, after twenty years of rule. In particular, he pardoned dozens of prisoners of conscience. But the Hirak quickly died out, especially under the effect of the bans on gatherings linked to Covid-19.

Since then, pro-democracy activists have been severely repressed by the government. Protest figures have sometimes had to go into exile, while others have been sentenced. Tensions were particularly high during the last legislative elections, in 2021. A week before the vote, the National Committee for the Liberation of Detainees estimated that 214 people were in detention for their opinions or because they had participated in demonstrations. The arrests of three Hirak figures (the opponent Karim Tabbou, Ihsane El Kadi, director of a radio station close to the protest and the independent journalist Khaled Drareni) had also triggered an international outcry.

A few days before the presidential election, NGOs are warning that this repression is still active. Amnesty International has accused the Algerian authorities of continuing to“stifling civic space by maintaining a harsh repression of human rights”with “new arbitrary arrests” And “a zero tolerance approach to dissenting views” In “a climate of fear”. According to human rights organizations, dozens of opponents are still behind bars.

To consolidate his power, Abdelmadjid Tebboune is also banking on locking down the press. “The authorities continue to repress journalists through arbitrary detention and prosecution, arbitrary restrictions on their right to freedom of movement and unfounded sanctions on media outlets,” reports Amnesty International. In a report on the human rights situation in Algeria, Human Rights Watch highlights that the authorities adopted, in spring 2023, “new legislation that strengthens the authorities’ control over the media”.

In an effort to soften his image and get closer to the population, the current Algerian president is very active on TikTok, posting videos of himself playing football or shots of his face with a seductive melody. Enough to give him the nickname “Uncle Tebboune” on social networks. During the campaign, he also did not hesitate to wear a traditional Tuareg outfit, during a visit to the far south of Algeria.

Abdelmadjid Tebboune believes that his first five-year term was cut short by two years, because of “the war against Covid-19” and of “corruption” of his predecessor. He intends to complete his project of“New Algeria”He promises further increases in salaries and pensions, as well as investments to create jobs and make Algeria “the second economy in Africa”behind South Africa.

On the other hand, his rivals have also focused their speeches on socio-economic issues, vowing to improve purchasing power and to improve the economy. They also promise more freedoms if they are elected. But they are acting as extras in this campaign.The electoral authority has done its screening work in advance in order to remove anyone likely to overshadow Abdelmadjid Tebboune during the campaign,” explains to Release Hasni Abidi, director of the Center for Studies and Research on the Arab and Mediterranean World.

There will still be two candidates. On one side, Abdelaali Hassani, a 57-year-old public works engineer, president of the main Islamist party MSP (Movement of Society for Peace). On the other, Youcef Aouchiche, a 41-year-old former journalist and senator, head of the FFS (Socialist Forces Front), a historic opposition party that has boycotted elections since 1999.

The only unknown in this presidential election is the turnout. The opposition media The Morning of Algeria sums up the mood of voters hoping for change: “Faced with the terror imposed by the authorities, revolt through silence remains the only option for Algerians.”