Abdelmadjid Tebboune, a Unique Candidacy
Without an electoral program, Abdelmadjid Tebboune clings to his presidential seat. He has warmed the seat where the late Chief of Staff and Deputy Minister of National Defense, General Ahmed Gaïd Salah, placed him.
By Hichem Aboud
Presidential elections marked by fraud? We have seen those. Of all kinds and in all colors. In Algeria and in other African countries pretending to play the democratic game. But the 2024 Algerian presidential election stands out. Although fraud was announced from the outset, no one expected such a deviation. The decision-makers-organizers of the September 7 electoral contest have crossed all the red lines. They move forward without worrying about what might be thought of them and their presidential election.
At first glance, after long internal struggles and a real attempt to oust him by external security services, the shadowy decision-makers bring back their secret weapon, the unpopular Abdelmadjid Tebboune. After a five-year term without any significant achievement, the current resident of the El-Mouradia palace is leading the race for a second term with a very unique feature: No program to present or defend before his competitors.
No Debate Between Candidates
But, what competitors are we talking about? They were handpicked. Two are completely unknown, even to the members of the parties they claim to represent. On their side, there is nothing to fear. Without financial resources and without popular support, Youcef Aouchiche from the FFS and Abdelaali Hassani Cherif from the Islamist MSP, paradoxically, provide more support to Tebboune than opposition. In a unique political event, Tebboune’s competitors do not ask voters to grant them their votes but merely to turn out in large numbers to boost the participation rate, which is the Gordian knot of this electoral contest in the eyes of the shadowy decision-makers.
Tebboune’s competitors do not dare ask him to account for his previous term nor ask him for his program for the next one. He is simply a “God” whom no one would dare challenge or question on any subject.
Tebboune is untouchable. He does not present a medical certificate attesting to his mental health, especially. After his verbal slips during his first two public appearances, Algerians began to wonder if Tebboune is in full possession of his mental faculties. Asking Egypt to open its borders with Gaza to allow the Algerian army to “show what it can do” and to “build three hospitals in three weeks,” after announcing before the UN General Assembly to “desalinate 1.5 billion m³/day,” enough to dry up the Mediterranean and turn it into a desert, there is reason to worry about the mental health of candidate Tebboune.
Not presenting a medical certificate is already a clear violation of the electoral law. But, the man does not care about respecting the laws of the republic. Even the declaration of assets, Tebboune ignores it. He is “God” and above the law. However, let’s not see him as a cruel and ruthless dictator. No, Tebboune has the face of a gentle little man incapable of harming a fly. His cold gaze and peasant-like appearance in a suit have led Algerians to call him “Uncle Tebboune” (3ammi Tebboune). And he likes that a lot.
Tebboune is simply a puppet in the hands of a handful of generals lacking the courage to present themselves as the real decision-makers of the country. In other words, those who lack the courage to assume their role can only be cowards. The men of November 1, 1954, Larbi Ben Mhidi, Mustapha Ben Boulaïd, Rabah Bitat, Didouche Mourad, Mohamed Boudiaf, and Krim Belkacem must be turning in their graves.
