Algeria began its local election campaign on Tuesday with more than 162,000 candidates vying for positions on municipal and provincial councils. The National Independent Authority for Elections released the figures.
A total of 141,388 candidates are running for municipal council seats, while 21,476 individuals seek membership in provincial councils.
The official campaign period will run for 20 days. A three-day electoral silence period will then take effect before voting, following Algerian election law.
Voters will choose representatives for provincial councils across 69 provinces and municipal council members across 1,541 municipalities.
A total of 24,236,959 voters are registered to take part. This vote marks Algeria’s second local election since 2019.
Strict regulations govern the campaign trail. Electoral rules prohibit using national symbols for campaign purposes and ban hate speech based on regional, linguistic, ethnic, or other considerations.
Candidates cannot use foreign languages during their campaigns. Authorities have also forbidden the use of state resources, public institutions, schools, universities, and places of worship for electoral propaganda.
Campaign activities are limited to authorised public rallies, neighbourhood meetings, and posters displayed in designated areas.
The ballot will use an open-list system first introduced in 2021. This mechanism lets voters select preferred candidates from within a list rather than relying on the predetermined order set by parties.
