Algeria announces early presidential elections in September

Polls were expected to be in December, with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune still to announce whether he will run

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. EPA

Algeria is set to hold early presidential elections on September 7, a statement from the Algerian presidency said on Thursday.

The decision came after a meeting between President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and high-ranking officials, including members of the country’s Parliament and its Constitutional Court, as well as the Algerian Army chief.

The statement said the National Independent Elections Authority will be called to convene as of June 8 to officially begin the preparations for the polls.

The elections were initially scheduled for December and came as surprise as no announcement has been made by Mr Tebboune about his intention to run for a second term.

His five-year term is set to expire in December and with only six months left for the date announced on Thursday, it is unclear who could next lead the oil-rich North African country.

The president of the Union for Change and Progress, Zoubida Assoul, has announced her intention to challenge Mr Tebboune, 79, if he decides to run.

The military-backed Algerian President came to power in 2019 after winning 58 per cent of the vote and after months of pro-democracy protests.

The demonstrations started in February that year and led to the resignation of long-running president Abdelaziz Bouteflika two months later.