Algerian legislative elections on Saturday are unlikely to attract a large turn-out but analysts said they could still result in a lower house that is traditionally closely aligned to the presidency falling into new hands.
The elections were initially scheduled for 2022 but with mass protests, known as the hirak, returning to the streets in February, as well as the dual threats of a stuttering economy and the coronavirus, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune brought the poll forward to June and suspended parliament.
Nevertheless, with many prominent figures among the hirak calling for a boycott of the vote, as well as the traditionally low turn-out for Algeria's legislative vote, hopes that Saturday will secure the new parliament an overwhelming mandate are guarded.
In a break from the past, Saturday's vote looks designed to draw in candidates from outside the country's traditional political fold.
In March, Mr Tebboune signed a decree designed to encourage the country's young, Algeria's dominant demographic, to "join the process of building new, credible and trustworthy institutions".
That call appears to have been answered, at least in part, with 1,500 candidates putting themselves forward.
Across all governorates, lists of independents featuring civil society activists, academics and professionals emerged, offering varying alternatives to the status quo.
Squeezed by the Islamist parties on one hand, and an increasing crackdown by the security services against the protests on the other, some of the hirak's hardcore supporters are also likely to ignore calls to boycott the vote.
Algeria protests – in pictures
"Why not?" said Abdelkader Abderrahmane, a senior researcher with Enact and the Institute for Security Studies.
"Every vote now could be a step away from the ‘pouvoir'. They vote for an independent parliament now. Next time, they could vote for a new presidency,” he said.
The pouvoir, or power, is a term used to denote the small oligarchy of top political, business and security officials that have traditionally controlled much of the government.
The largest party in the country, the Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN) is in contention again as are other mainstream parties such as the National Rally for Democracy, the Rally for Hope for Algeria, and the Algerian Popular Movement.
However, as with the FLN, all are expected to suffer through their close associations with presidents of the past.
In contrast, the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Movement de la Societe pour la Paix, currently the third-largest party in parliament, is hoping to pick up the votes of those excluded from the closed circles of influence.
Moreover, for many in Algeria, the notion of a political party that combines politics with the themes of their religion holds a clear attraction.
"Politically, the Islamists lost the argument in the 1990s. However, culturally, they've been winning," Mr Abderrahmane said.
"Over the last 20 or 30 years, Algerian society has grown increasingly religious," he said, pointing to the footholds that Islamists have established in mosques, universities and on social networks, as movements such as Dawa Salafiya, while avowedly apolitical, have fostered political discussion within a religious framework.
Algerians hope the elections will lead to the formation of a new government that can arrest the downward trajectory of Algeria's spluttering economy.
Despite years of calls to diversify its model and halt the country's reliance on oil and gas exports, the economy is almost entirely unreformed. Exacerbating Algeria's problems is the state subsidy system, one of the highest within Opec and paid for by hydrocarbon exports.
But with energy prices maintaining the flat line they have held since 2014, foreign reserves, and time, are fast running out.
Irrespective of the results of Saturday's vote, Algeria's challenges are significant.
What role a newly renewed parliament may play in helping the country overcome them remains to be seen.
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Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Scoreline
UAE 2-1 Saudi Arabia
UAE Mabkhout 21’, Khalil 59’
Saudi Al Abed (pen) 20’
Man of the match Ahmed Khalil (UAE)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
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Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
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Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
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Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
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Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Manchester United v Liverpool
Premier League, kick off 7.30pm (UAE)
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Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
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Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
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