Presidential elections are expected to be held in Algeria some time in the future. They were originally scheduled to take place on 18 April, but President Abdelaziz Bouteflika postponed the election in response to protests against his candidacy for a fifth term. Bouteflika resigned on 2 April and Abdelkader Bensalah took office as acting president the following week. On 10 April it was announced that the elections had been re-scheduled for 4 July. On 2 June, the Constitutional Council postponed the elections for a third time, citing a lack of candidates. A new date has not been set.
Candidates
On 3 March 2019, a day after his 82nd birthday and while undergoing medical tests in Switzerland, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika formally submitted his candidacy, but said in a statement read on state TV that he would not serve a full term if re-elected. Instead, he promised to organise a national conference and set a date for an early election which he would not participate in. The announcement followed weeks of protests against his plan to seek a fifth term in office. A week later, on 11 March 2019, Bouteflika withdrew from the race and postponed the election. On 1 November 2018, journalist Ghani Mahdi announced that he would be a candidate in the election.
On 4 April 2019, Ali Ghediri, a former Director of Human Resources at the Ministry of Defense, announced his candidacy.
Bensalah is not eligible to participate in the presidential election.
Protests
On 22 February 2019, protests took place in Algiers, Oran, Sétif, Annaba and other Algerian cities over Bouteflika’s bid to continue for a fifth term.
Sources and further reading:
The seasons after the Arab Spring
https://mondediplo.com/2019/06/05sudan
Why Algeria’s Protests Continue After Bouteflika’s Ouster
https://www.usip.org/publications/2019/05/why-algerias-protests-continue-after-bouteflikas-ouster
Postponing Algeria’s elections comes with opportunities, but also risks