Brussels: Three political parties backing Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's program have emerged as leaders in the country's parliamentary elections, as per final results announced by the Constitutional Court on Saturday. The National Liberation Front secured the top spot with 91 out of 407 seats in the People's National Assembly, Algeria's lower house of parliament.
According to Anadolu Agency, the National Democratic Rally followed in second place, obtaining 74 seats, while the Future Front came in third with 56 seats. The Movement of Society for Peace took the fourth position with 43 seats. The National Construction Movement, another party in alignment with President Tebboune, claimed the fifth spot with 40 seats.
The Constitutional Court revealed that the Independents' bloc, which had been the second-largest parliamentary group in the 2021 elections with 84 seats, dropped to sixth place with 33 seats in the latest elections. Traditional opposition parties struggled to gain ground, with the Socialist Forces Front winning 12 seats, the secular Rally for Culture and Democracy obtaining four, and the radical-left Workers' Party securing three.
The voter turnout for these elections was reported at 21.24%, a decrease from the 30.2% recorded in the 2021 parliamentary elections. Despite the reduced turnout, the overall composition of the new parliament remains largely consistent, with the presidential majority maintaining a significant number of seats.
The combined seats of the three leading parties ensure an absolute majority in the chamber, enabling President Tebboune to appoint a prime minister who will execute the presidential program. Under Algeria's 2020 Constitution, a prime minister is appointed if parties supporting the presidential majority hold the most seats.
The constitutional provisions also outline that if opposition parties were to secure a majority, the president would appoint a head of government from the opposition. This individual would serve under their own program, independent from the president's. These reforms were introduced to address the political dynamics following the 2019 Hirak protest movement.
The newly elected parliament will comprise 22 parties, an increase from 13 in the previous elections, indicating a more extensive party representation at the expense of independents. The election data shows that three parties won three seats each, five parties secured one seat each, and two parties obtained two seats each.
In accordance with the Constitution and electoral law, the Independent National Authority for Elections provides preliminary results and voting documents to the Constitutional Court. The court is responsible for ruling on appeals, announcing the final results, and publishing them in the Official Gazette.
The announcement by the Constitutional Court signifies the conclusion of the electoral process. The official results will be published in the Official Gazette, and the new People's National Assembly is set to be inaugurated within the next 15 days.