Presidential elections are due to be held in Algeria on 7 September 2024.^[1][2]

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2024 Algerian presidential election

← 2019 7 September 2024 2029 →

Incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune Independent

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On 21 March 2024 the office of incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced that the election would be held on 7 September. This was a surprise as the elections were anticipated to be held in December as they were in 2019.^[2] Tebboune later explained that the date was the optimal time to hold the election "because it coincides with the end of the summer vacations and the start of the new school year", hereby ensuring high turnout. However, some have questioned the logic of the timing, pointing out that a September election would mean that campaigning would be held amid scorching summer temperatures.^[3]

Tebboune's selection of the election date was supported by the FLN, to which Tebboune had previously been a member of, adding that it was considering whether to endorse Tebboune or field its own candidate. Islamist parties also supported the election date, with Movement of Society for Peace leader Abderrazak Makri [fr] expressed interest in running for President, pending the party's decision on a scheduled summit in June. The Socialist Forces Front promised to make the election “an occasion for a great debate”, while the Rally for Culture and Democracy described the early election as a “constitutional coup de force” that would force a timeline causing “the de facto exclusion of society as a whole.”^[3]

Tebboune's decision to set the elections in September also led to confusion among the Algerian public, with the North African Arabic phrase Ma fhemna walou ('We didn't understand anything') becoming a trending topic on social media as a result.^[3]

The President of Algeria is elected using the two-round system; if no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round, a second round will be held.^[4]

Although he is expected to run again, Abdelmadjid Tebboune has not announced his decision to run for a second term.^[5] However, on 30 March 2024, he still announced a state visit to France in autumn, a few weeks after the election.^[6]

Zoubida Assoul [fr], a lawyer and former magistrate, announced her decision to run for presidency as the leader of the Union for Reform and Progress [fr] (UCP).^[7]