The ruling party in Algeria, the National Liberation Front (FLN), prevailed in the legislative elections held last Saturday, in a context of great abstention and political crisis, the electoral authority announced on Tuesday. The result hardly alters the political reality after two decades under the presidency of Abdelaziz Buteflika, who resigned two years ago. The most substantial change is the loss of more than a third of its representatives by the FLN, which has obtained 105 of the 407 seats in the Lower House. Three days after the elections, the authorities released provisional data in which the participation of 23% stands out, reports the official APS agency.
The FLN, in times of a single party, will continue to dominate the Algerian political landscape, something it has done since the country's independence in 1962. The lists made up of the independents, promoted for the first time to second place, will occupy 78 seats.
They are followed by the Islamists of the Social Movement for Peace (MSP) with 64. In fourth place is the National Democratic Group (RND, according to its French acronym), a traditional ally of the FLN under the presidency of Buteflika.
More information
Strong abstention in Algeria hinders the post-Buteflika era
Young people want to rule Algeria
The president was forced to leave power in April 2019 by the demonstrations that took place in the streets since February of that year under what is known as Hirak ("movement" in Arabic). The protests, calmer during the first months of the pandemic, have continued in 2021. Hirak representatives called for a boycott of the polls and may have obtained a victory considering that less than a quarter of the 24 million voters have exercised their right to vote. If the participation was 35% in the legislative elections of 2017, this time it has fallen to 23%.
In December 2019, Abdelmayid Tebún won the presidential elections. He was running as an independent candidate, but had held different positions during the Buteflika terms. During this time, a constitutional reform has been voted, also with very low participation, and a new electoral law has been approved. All in a climate far from a possible sharp turn in power. For this reason, with the results of the new Parliament announced, Algeria is still far from experiencing the revolution that this anti-establishment Hirak longs for on the streets.