ALGERIA: President Tebboune joins opponents in questioning poll irregularities, casting doubt on his landslide victory over voter turnout discrepancies

By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who was declared the winner of the presidential election with a massive 94.7% of the vote, joined his two challengers in criticizing irregularities in the poll results. Tebboune’s opponents, Abdelali Hassani Cherif (Islamist) and Youcef Aouchiche (socialist), who garnered 3.2% and 2.2% respectively, raised concerns about contradictory voter turnout figures.

Initially, the election authority reported a 48% turnout, which was later revised to just 5.6 million voters out of 24 million, less than 25%. In a joint statement, the three candidates called out these discrepancies, and further questions have emerged about local vote counts. These irregularities have cast doubt over what seemed like a landslide victory for the 78-year-old Tebboune.

The election period has faced heavy criticism from activists, who condemned the oppressive political atmosphere and the targeting of opposition figures and civil society groups. The situation remains tense, and it is unclear if these claims will lead to legal actions or delay the final certification of the election results.

Source: Africanews

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Chioma Ndukwu

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