World Politics Review: Algeria’s military regime supports Tebboune to maintain its grip on country

When results of the latest Algerian presidential election were announced, few Algerians believed the regime’s figures as they have long lost faith in voting as a way to choose freely and democratically their leaders, said an American academic quarterly journal.

In an analysis published on Algerian presidential election held Sept.07, which unsurprisingly yielded a second term for incumbent President Abdelmajid Tebboune, World Politics Review said this election simply exacerbated further Algerians’ disillusionment with army ruling behind an imposed democratic façade.

The blatant contradictions in the preliminary figures released by the country’s electoral commission showed a picture of an authoritarian regime that has become too sloppy at rigging elections, said the American analysis published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

Presidential elections in Algeria are merely used to appoint an army-approved politician to head the government, while Algeria’s generals continue to rule over the political system form behind the scenes, said the WPR.

As the Algerian military regime becomes increasingly unpopular, rigging elections is no longer just about determining who should serve as the civilian stand-in for the generals. More and more, it is about pumping up participation numbers in an attempt to give the whole exercise a trace of legitimacy, underlined the American publication.

Several Algerian presidents have attempted to reduce the weight of the army and the security services in the ruling system. All have failed. At least one of them, Mohamed Boudiaf, who was likely assassinated for it.

The Algerian military-led regime, which has governed the country since its independence from France in 1962, vets and orchestrates the cast of characters that run the country’s civilian government.

Despite embarrassing statements made by Tebboune during his campaign, the ruling Generals relied on him to maintain themselves in power and preserve their interests.