Algeria’s Snap Presidential Election: APS Explains Reasons Behind Announcement

BY: Dr. Hana Saada

ALGIERS- The official news agency, APS, revisited on Friday the reasons behind President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s announcement of an early presidential election scheduled for September 7th. APS immediately explained that “the decision to advance the presidential election to September 2024 seems to have caught many off guard,” noting that “the President, in his commitment to transparency, has unsettled not only his adversaries but also some of his allies with this announcement, which appears abrupt in form but remarkably coherent in substance.”

“Who controls the timing controls the situation. President Tebboune has always been a ‘master of the clocks,’ often perplexing but never overwhelmed,” affirmed the official agency, highlighting that “the primary lesson from this announcement of an early election is the return to normalcy.”

In this regard, APS explains that “the events of 2019, the postponed presidential election of July 2019, and the ‘Hussar-style’ one in December 2019, had altered the Algerian electoral calendar. They disrupted traditions due to politically exceptional events of significant gravity.”

It further adds that “President Tebboune’s announcement is therefore the official signal of an exit from crisis. The Algerian state is no longer in a state of crisis or emergency.”

“It has regained its stability. Its institutions have regained their balance. It has restored its decision-making process. The electoral agenda is thus recalibrated according to this norm. The democratic norm. This return to constitutional and institutional tranquility. Even if it means shortening his own term, the presidential reflection seems to have been guided by this concern for the re-stabilization of the state’s structure,” it continued.

President Tebboune Entrusts His People

“Tebboune trusts his people,” states the APS as a second lesson, invoking “the eternal return to the people.” “The sole decision-maker and the sole judge of the President’s actions,” the APS argues. “This announcement signifies that President Tebboune trusts his people, citizens, and voters. He trusts their judgment and their clarity. Certainly, some usual voices have begun to concoct the most absurd scenarios, failing to decipher the presidential ‘black box.’ Free speech and gratuitous speculation,” it further notes.

“However, if enemies are disconcerted, it is precisely because of this intimate relationship between a President and his people. President Tebboune has never needed an intermediary. A filter. A guardian. From the beginning of his term, he established a language of truth and pure candor with his people. Without detour. Without ambiguity. Even if it shocks some or unsettles others. That’s the presidential style,” the APS continues.

“For the agency, it is typical of President Tebboune, who has always had the audacity to break from conventional paths. To speak frankly to his people because he considers them mature and allergic to political falsehood. In this sense, it is up to him, and him alone, to address his vision of the future to them. When he decides.”

The Geopolitical Calculation

The Geopolitical calculation, is according to the APS, is undoubtedly the third lesson. The latest gas summit, conflict management, and geopolitical and security mutations in the region, it argues, have certainly influenced this announcement. “Algeria is playing a tight role that will shape its future as a nation in the face of new colonialisms,” it asserts.

“The external threats are such, real, and palpable, that abbreviating the first term is a tactical necessity. An anticipation of scheduled turbulence. The international stakes predominate over the national ones,” it adds.

It further asserts that Algeria must demonstrate its internal unity, domestic coherence, with a President, an Army, and institutions ready for battle to prevent external crises. And they are already at our doorstep. And they aim at our sovereignty and security.

The return to stability, which has been President Tebboune’s cardinal concern, must find its extension in the message Algeria sends to its partners and historical enemies. One should not rely on internal fragility. There will be no weakness in the face of adversity. Algeria is ready for the challenges that threaten it, and advancing a presidential election is the message of this regained serenity.

The final lesson, according to the agency, is undoubtedly the President’s personal composure. It cannot be emphasized enough, but Algeria has a President who works. He has a job to do and only one boss: the people. And as long as he has not fully achieved his objectives, his solemn promises, his unwavering commitments, he will remain completely focused on fulfilling his pact with the Algerians. With the citizen to whom he has restored the dignity of being the ultimate arbiter.

“A New Algeria,” which has been criticized since its inception by defeatist experts, professionals of “declinism,” nostalgics of state corruption, and internal traitors who do not want the emergence of this renewed Algeria. The path has been strewn with obstacles, the task is considerable, sometimes for health reasons (Covid-19), which has demonstrated state-citizen solidarity, but often for endogenous reasons to the political system that had derailed from its course. The return to a strong state comes at the cost of sacrifices.

President Tebboune has made the hopes, aspirations, and proposals of his people his sole dedication. He has thus become the guarantor of the generational link between the Algeria of the Revolution and the Algeria of Renewal.

About Dzair Tube Media Group

Dzair Tube has firmly established itself as a prominent player among Algerian digital news sites, offering a diverse and enriching content experience. The platform, available in Arabic, French, and English editions, captures the attention of a wide-ranging audience, amassing over half a million daily clicks.

A testament to its commitment to excellence, Dzair Tube received the prestigious President of the Republic’s Award for Professional Journalist in the Electronic Press category on October 22, 2022. This recognition underscores the platform’s unwavering dedication to upholding the highest standards of journalism.

With a significant online presence, Dzair Tube boasts 350,000 subscribers on YouTube, over five million followers on various Facebook pages, and 450,000 subscribers on Instagram. Its digital channel has become a hub for diverse programming, covering news, sports, entertainment, culture, and religion, catering to a broad spectrum of audience preferences.

Equipped with state-of-the-art studios and advanced technology, Dzair Tube’s digital channel has garnered substantial viewership for its varied programs. Hosting interactive discussions with influential figures across different domains, the platform actively fosters public discourse and engagement. Beyond news coverage, Dzair Tube extends its commitment to the production of marketing documentaries, short TV commercials, and high-viewership programs.

The success of the print edition of Dzair Tube’s sports newspaper, “Dzair Sport,” further highlights the platform’s impact, with over 50,000 daily downloads from the official Dzair Tube website.

Recently honored with the Media Leadership Award from the Minister of Communication, Mohamed Laâgab, Dzair Tube continues to shape the landscape of Algerian digital news, maintaining a position of influence and impact in the media industry.