Algeria’s presidential election campaigning has ended ahead of polling day on Saturday, with incumbent Abdelmadjid Tebboune seeking a second term five years after a mass uprising toppled his predecessor.
The polls are the first to be held since Mr Tebboune came to power after pro-democracy protests in 2019. They also come at a time of growing voter apathy, as well as regional instability in neighbouring Mali, Niger and Libya.
Mr Tebboune is up against Youcef Aouchiche, of the Socialist Forces Front, and Abdelaali Hassani Cherif, representing the Movement of Society for Peace.
The elections authority said at least 24 million Algerians are eligible to participate, including more than 800,000 living abroad who began voting on Monday. More than 13,000 polling stations will be open throughout the country’s 58 governorates, including 139 mobile stations set up for Bedouin communities and remote villages in the south. Voting in these areas is scheduled to start on Wednesday.
While Algeria seeks a bigger role in regional politics to counter instability in neighbouring countries, domestic economic issues have dominated the political debate more than five years since the Hirak protest movement ousted long-time president Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Thousands of young people took to the streets in the protests of 2019 but many of the movement's leaders have since been jailed.
Turnout is expected to be low, indicating growing apathy towards the political process. Despite economic growth and falling inflation, youth unemployment remains high – at 30 per cent last year, the World Bank said. Only 23 per cent of voters showed up for the most recent legislative elections in 2021, one of the lowest participation rates in Algeria's history.
Who are the candidates?
Abdelmadjid Tebboune, 78, is standing again as an independent candidate. He was elected in December 2019 after the Hirak uprising and fall of the Bouteflika regime, and has long been considered a military-backed figure. He clinched victory in 2019 with a 58 per cent majority against candidates backed by the Democratic National Rally, then Algeria's ruling party, and the National Liberation Front.
He campaigned this time under the slogan “For a victorious Algeria”, touting his government’s achievements on the economy. At a rally in the capital Algiers on Tuesday, Mr Tebboune promised supporters he would continue to focus on economic and social issues, such as unemployment, regional development and the role of young people in decision-making.
Algeria recorded 4.1 per cent growth in GDP last year, the World Bank said. Consumer price inflation dropped from 9.3 per cent in 2023 to 5.0 per cent in the first quarter of this year, primarily due to a decrease in food imports and a growing reliance on domestic agriculture. Observers believe the economic success makes Mr Tebboune favourite, regardless of the perceived political apathy.
Youcef Aouchiche, 41, is a seasoned politician, former journalist and MP. Raised in Tizi-Ouzou, a city predominantly populated by the indigenous Amazigh, he started his career as a student activist while studying political science.
Mr Aouchiche is the candidate for the secular opposition party Socialist Forces Front, which he joined in 2002 before becoming its secretary general in 2020. He was chairman of the Tizi-Ouzou Popular Assembly from 2017 to 2022 before becoming an MP.
He has promised to decentralise power to “representatives in elected councils and involve them in all the country’s fateful decisions”. He also wants “an economic structure that is based on efficiency and transparency” and has pledged to strengthen the welfare state to fully support the “vulnerable and working classes”.
Mr Aouchiche is considered a strong contender. In recent years he has steadily garnered support across central Algeria, notably in the Kabyle region, which is home to 7 million people.
Abdelaali Hassani Cherif, 57, is a civil engineer who also holds a degree in administrative and legal sciences. A native of Magra city in the Msila governorate, south-east of Algiers, Mr Cherif also started his political career as an activist at the University of Msila. He was involved from a young age in the Movement of Society for Peace, an Islamist party, which he is representing in Saturday's election.
Mr Cherif entered Msila governorate's legislature in 1995 and was its vice president from 2002 to 2007, before winning election to the Algerian Parliament that year.
Like his opponents, Mr Cherif has based his presidential campaign on socio-economic promises, pledging “development, stability and prosperity” for all. At a gathering in Algiers on Tuesday, he promised to pursue “development policies that operate in accordance with the principle of social justice and equal opportunities”, as well as a "fair distribution of wealth”.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
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RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
The five pillars of Islam
CREW
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The bio
Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist
Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi
Favourite Emirati food: Luqaimat, a deep-fried dough soaked in date syrup
Hobbies: Reading and drawing
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Paltan
Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Results
2pm: Serve U – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Violent Justice, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
2.30pm: Al Shafar Investment – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Desert Wisdom, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ahmed Al Shemaili
3pm: Commercial Bank of Dubai – Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Fawaareq, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
3.30pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
4pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Rakeez, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
4.30pm: Al Redha Insurance Brokers – Handicap (TB) Dh78,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Capla Crusader, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
THE SCORES
Ireland 125 all out
(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)
UAE 125 for 5
(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)
UAE won by five wickets
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
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