#algeria : campaign for the 12 June legislative elections in Algeria, a ballot that brought new legitimacy to the regime, but boycotted by part of the opposition, struggled to mobilize the population, in an atmosphere of suppression of Hirak’s protest movement.
In Algiers, the country’s largest constituency, with 34 deputy seats to be filled (out of 407), most electoral panels are half empty, about two weeks after the campaign began.
Some of the pasted posters get ripped quickly and are not readable.
These elections, which were supposed to take place in 2022 but were brought forward, appear as an attempt by the government, whose pillar is the military, to regain control in the face of Hirak’s return to the streets from late February.
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Despite two blatant failures – the 2019 presidential election and the 2020 constitutional referendum, marked by a record abstinence – the regime is determined to implement its electoral “roadmap” without taking into account the demands of the road (rule of law, democratic Transition, independent justice, etc.).
There are about 1,500 lists running in this election, of which more than half are displayed as “independent”.
It will, for the first time, see the participation of a much larger number of independent candidates facing the contenders presented by the parties, which are largely responsible for the discredited and serious political crisis that Algeria is going through.
While some are betting on the victory of these independents, with a vague affiliation, who may constitute a new political force within the National People’s Assembly (APN) in the future, others, on the other hand, downplay their chances. Huh.
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Political scientists and editorial experts especially note that the visibility of these independent lists is very low and they are very prudent.
If Hirak and leftist opposition, such as the Front des Forces Socialists (FFS), refused to support a vote which they saw as biased, the Mouvement de la Société decided to vote for La Paix (MSP) and other legal Islamic structures. has decided. Participate in the order of “Desired Breakdown and Contribute to Change”.
bury the hiraki
The president of the MSP, Abderrezak Makri, further stated that he was “ready to govern” in the event of victory.
But ten days before the ballot, it is clear that the candidates, like the independents, do not manage in the interest of the Algerians, who are very much concerned with the intense multiculture – political, social and economic – that has led the Maghreb country since February 2019. Has moved ..
Another sign of discontent, election rallies do not reduce crowds.
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In recent days, a video of a candidate giving a speech in front of an empty room has been widely shared on social media.
In addition, the electoral campaign was punctuated by verbal “slippery” that sparked controversy and sometimes mockery.
The president of the Good Governance Front (FBG), Aisa Belhadi, compared the women presented by her party to “selected strawberries” to praise their virtues.
Many Internet users have qualified these comments as “sexist”, making fun of them.
After the fiasco of 2019 and 2020, the credibility of these elections should again depend on the participation rate.
Authorities fear a new discontent of voters in the traditionally rebel-held region of Kabilia (North-East), where participation in the last two elections was almost zero.
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According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense, Army Chief General Saeed Chengariha warned against any plan or action aimed at disrupting the conduct of elections.
And as the election deadline nears, the regime decides to end Hirak, an unprecedented popular anti-system insurgency that it accuses of being hostile to Algeria by “foreign parties”. .
They have actually banned their demonstrations and are intensifying arrests and legal proceedings by targeting political opponents, Iraqi activists, lawyers and journalists.
Results: According to human rights organizations, more than 200 people are currently imprisoned for acts related to hirak and / or personal liberty.