The Independent National Election Authority in Algeria revealed that 36 political parties have submitted their candidacies for the parliamentary elections scheduled for July 2nd, after the legal deadline for nominations had passed, amid anticipation of the results of the review of the files before entering the election campaign.
The Independent National Election Authority stated in a statement regarding the final tally of the process of submitting collective candidacy declaration files that the number of files withdrawn at the level of electoral districts within the country reached 1,484 files across 69 states, including 1,208 files for lists under the auspices of 36 political parties, 275 files for independent lists, in addition to one file for a party alliance.
She also explained that the number of individual signature forms withdrawn within the country reached 1,897,248 forms, indicating the size of the mobilization that took place during the signature collection phase, especially for parties and lists that are not exempt from this legal requirement.
As for the electoral districts for the Algerian community abroad, 91 collective candidacy applications were submitted across eight electoral districts, including 80 applications sponsored by 22 political parties, two applications from two party alliances, and nine applications from independent lists. Additionally, 2,102 individual signature forms were submitted for candidates abroad.
Regarding the final tally of submitted files, the Independent National Election Authority reported that the total number of files submitted within the country reached 786, including 647 files under the auspices of 32 political parties, 138 files for independent lists, in addition to one file submitted under the auspices of more than one political party within the framework of an alliance.
The total number of candidates within the country reached 10,014, while the number of files submitted for the electoral districts abroad reached 66, including 59 files under the auspices of 15 political parties, one file for a party alliance, and six files for independent lists, while the number of candidates abroad reached 528.
The lists currently submitted are awaiting the review of files by the delegations of the Independent National Election Authority, to determine their compliance with the legal and regulatory conditions, before the final announcement of the lists accepted to participate in the upcoming legislative elections.
This particular stage raises concerns among a number of political parties and candidates, especially in light of the continued application of Article 200 of the Elections Law relating to combating political money, which was the subject of widespread controversy during the previous elections due to the way it was applied and the standards for its interpretation.
During a recent parliamentary debate on amending the election law, several MPs called for a review of this article and a more precise wording to avoid any interpretation that could lead to the disqualification of candidates without clear criteria or final judicial rulings. However, the Minister of Justice at the time emphasized that any connection to suspicious financial sources was sufficient grounds for disqualification, considering this measure to be part of efforts to protect the integrity of the electoral process and prevent the return of illicit funds to elected institutions.
Article 200, paragraph seven, stipulates that a candidate must “not be known to the public for his connection to suspicious financial and business circles, and for his direct or indirect influence on the free choice of voters and the proper conduct of the electoral process.”
This legal provision was used during the previous legislative elections of 2021 to exclude about 700 candidates, according to figures that were circulated at the time. This sparked protests and criticism from political parties who saw that the article was used to remove prominent names from some lists under the pretext of combating corrupt money, while the authorities considered that the measure was part of efforts to protect the electoral process from the influence of suspicious money.
The Algerian electoral law stipulates that campaign financing comes from specific sources, including contributions from political parties and their members, personal contributions from candidates, donations from private citizens, and potential state aid. The law also sets a spending limit of 2.5 million dinars per candidate for legislative elections.
New electoral map
These elections come in light of a new electoral map following the creation of new provinces in Algeria, which directly affected the distribution of seats within Parliament, as the number of electoral districts for the National People’s Assembly elections was increased from 58 to 69 districts, after the addition of 11 electoral districts representing the newly created provinces, while maintaining the electoral district for the national community abroad.
The text also included a redistribution of seats between states, by reducing the number of seats in some of the original states from which new states were created, and transferring part of those seats to the newly created states, thus redrawing the representative balance between the different regions.
This amendment increased the number of seats in the National People's Assembly from 407 to 422, an increase of 15 seats compared to the previous term. The number of seats in the Council of the Nation also increased from 174 to 207, an increase of 33 seats, while maintaining the system of presidential appointments to one-third of the seats.
The preparation phase for the elections was accompanied by activity within the political parties, especially during the last days before the closing of the nomination deadline, as political formations and independent lists rushed to complete their files, collect the required signatures, and submit the lists to the provincial delegations of the Independent Election Authority.
Algiers, in particular, witnessed remarkable competition given its political symbolism and the number of seats allocated to it, as several parties announced their success in submitting their electoral lists, including the Socialist Forces Front, the Rally for Culture and Democracy, and the Workers' Party, in addition to the major pro-government parties.
The signature-gathering process was accompanied by tension and pressure within several political parties, particularly those not exempt from the requirement of collecting popular signatures. According to the electoral law, parties that obtained more than four percent of the vote in the previous legislative elections, or that have at least ten elected representatives in the relevant electoral district, are exempt from collecting signatures. Other parties or new lists are obligated to collect voter signatures according to the number of seats they are contesting.
The law stipulates the need to collect 150 signatures for each required electoral seat, which imposed a great organizational effort on the parties, especially in major states such as Algiers, which has 31 parliamentary seats, which requires collecting thousands of signatures to complete the conditions of candidacy.
In recent weeks, some parties have resorted to posting advertisements on social media to attract new candidates and complete the electoral lists, in an attempt to address the delays recorded in some states before the legal deadlines for submitting files expire.
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