Algeria Holds Presidential Elections Amid Ongoing Human Rights Concerns

Algeria is holding a presidential election on Saturday, with incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune expected to win. Analysts predict little change from the vote, as only two of the 15 hopefuls have received the required 600 signatures of support to run against Tebboune. The two challengers are Abdelaali Hassani Cherif from the moderate Islamist party and Youcef Aouchiche from the centre-left Socialist Forces Front (FFS). Tebboune's main challenge is to boost turnout, as he won in 2019 with 58% of the vote but faced a record abstention rate of over 60%. The election is expected to favor the president, with many of the 24 million eligible voters likely to abstain.