In December , Abdelmadjid Tebboune was elected as President of Algeria to replace Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was forced by the February Hirak popular protest to resign in April of that year.
Four years after his election, the country is preparing for a consequential presidential race which will not be an easy task for any candidate, including the current leadership. Throughout his presidency, Tebboune had to endure several setbacks that often placed his agenda at risk and imposed urgent domestic and foreign policies. In addition, Algeria found itself at the heart of complex geopolitical equations when Russia launched a full-scale invasion against Ukraine in February Furthermore, the protest movement left its mark on Algerian society as a new generation of Algerians emerged with unique demands and aspirations.
While the elections were essentially focused on sociopolitical stability, candidates for the December presidential race are expected to provide concrete reforms on domestic affairs and foreign policy.
These actors were later tried on corruption charges and sentenced to long prison terms and heavy fines. As Algeria reached a state of semi-stability on the institutional level, it is still suffering from the same bureaucratic malfunctions and corrupt schemes.
While this is encouraging, structural institutional obstacles remain, which require specific reforms on judicial independence and a new vision for the dynamics between state different institutions. Throughout the past four years, much of the work of Algerian activists has focused on the condition of human rights. On the eve of the December elections, President Tebboune vouched to work with the Hirak movement. Ahead of the upcoming presidential campaign, the question of individual and collective liberties will shadow public debate.
