Observers: No significant change following Algeria election

The preliminary results of the first parliamentary election held in Algeria after the popular protests indicate that voters have not really changed their convictions or favoured parties and therefore the elections will not bring meaningful change, observers have said.

The Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news site reported Algerian researcher, Abdul Hamid Brahimi, as saying that the results clearly reflect the widespread boycott of the elections, where the bloc that used to vote is the one that went to the polls with the same choices and convictions.

“Naturally, the results will be the same as in the past,” Brahimi said.

“If we take El Oued Souf state as a model, the voter turnout there did not exceed 27.50 per cent, which is the lowest percentage in the last 20 years,” he said.

“I believe this great popular boycott is due to the lack of confidence in the electoral system, which was formulated by the authority alone without involving the political class, making people lose hope in the elections’ ability to change their situation,” he added.

READ: Voter turnout reaches 30% in Algeria parliamentary elections

However, political affairs writer, Ihsan Khalas, said he believes significant changes were made in the elections that cannot be underestimated; most notably the rise in civilian nominees among all the leading parties.

The new changes, according to Khalas, also includes the Movement of Society for Peace bloc and the National Construction movement, which will bring about some sort of “balance” in the political scene and in parliament.

Khalas pointed out that President Abdelmadjid Tebboune will also have to deal with the two ruling parties, the National Liberation Front and the National Democratic Rally, as “partners” and not as subordinates to the authority, as former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika used to, because of their success in the election.