What challenges will Algerian President Tebboune face in his second term?

Abdelmadjid Tebboune has won a second term, but what will be the most difficult issues he will grapple with?

It is often said that the true test of presidential elections is not the outcome so much as having a high enough voter turnout to legitimise the political process.

On September 7, 2024, Algeria’s incumbent president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, was unsurprisingly re-elected for a second five-year presidential term with a whopping 94.65 percent of the vote.

However, the provisional data from the National Independent Authority for Elections (ANIE) indicated that just 23 percent of the population voted for a candidate.

One week later, and amidst much confusion and suspicion, the Constitutional Court revised those figures and established that Tebboune had been elected with 84.3 percent of the vote and that voter turnout actually sat at 46 percent.

Despite the backing of Algeria’s leading political parties, the National Liberation Front (FLN) and National Democratic Rally (RND), Tebboune’s failure to generate widespread voter enthusiasm raises questions about his popular legitimacy, which may hamper his efforts to address domestic and foreign challenges during his next term.