Algerians have begun voting for the first parliamentary election since long-serving former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika was forced to resign two years ago, but Hirak’s opposition group said it would go on strike after seven of its leaders were arrested on Thursday.
The polling station opened at 8am (07:00 GMT) and is expected to close at 7pm.
An estimated 24 million Algerians have the opportunity to vote to elect 407 members of the People’s National Assembly in five years.
Hirak’s party has been leading anti-government protests demanding radical change in the country, which Bouteflika has ruled for 20 years.
Opposition parties have called on Algerians to take part in what they call “the most important vote in the history of the country”, while opponents oppose “fraudulent” elections.
Seven protesters, including opposition leader Karim Tabbou, were arrested on Thursday while police on Friday raided the capital, Algiers, to stop any Hirak group from taking part in anti-government protests.
The by-elections should set an example for the new “Algeria” of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and encourage young people who want to run for office and who are outside the political arena.
Voters in Africa’s largest country have a choice of more than 13,000, more than half of whom have been declared “independent”.
The leader of the Algeria League for the Defense of Human Rights, Said Salhi, has condemned the terrorists before the vote.
“The oppressive and restrictive nature of human rights and freedoms means that these elections are not democratic,” Salhi said.
Farida Hamidi, a Hirak activist in Paris, said the elections did not mean much to young Algerians who were dreaming of change.
“We reject everything: the president, the parliament, the laws, everything that the military has been doing in Algeria since 1962 – we want something else,” he said.
Singing boycott
Hirak has called for a boycott of all national elections since it called for thousands of people in 2019 to force former president Bouteflika to step down, after convening a fifth term.
The commission returned to the streets in February after a year-long respite from the coronavirus, after surviving a construction campaign, a presidential election and a legal referendum aimed at burying it.
But the government reassured Hirak last month, banning protests and arresting hundreds of freedom fighters who disobeyed new rules at public rallies.
Independent journalist Khaled Drareni and the head of the opposition radio station, Ihsane El Kadi, were also among the seven people arrested on Thursday.
“The arrests show an escalation of violence as Algerian authorities crack down on freedom of expression and association,” Amnesty International said in a statement, adding that more than 200 people had been detained for Hirak’s activities.
“Instead of recruiting journalists and political opponents to crack down on terrorists and intimidate Hirak members, Algerian officials should focus on respecting their human rights.”
Former supervisors, financial problems
President Tebboune is said to have responded to Hirak’s major demands “in his own time”, but says those who still oppose him are “opponents” over the payment of “foreign parties”.
Chief of Staff Said Chengriha has warned of “anything that could jeopardize” the vote.
Opponents say Tebboune’s former role as Prime Minister under Bouteflika confirms that the former military, which has been in power since Algeria gained independence in 1962 from France, still wields power.
Established parties affiliated with the Bouteflika regime – the National Liberation Front (FLN) and the Democratic National Rally (RND) – appear to have lost their seats, ridiculed and criticized for the political and economic crisis in Algeria.
Islamic parties also want to use Hirak’s strike to increase their representation – but once their votes are divided between the five opposition parties, they can fight for real gain.
“With so many casualties, the calculation of power is simple: to elect a twisted assembly, without a majority, which would allow the President to create more of his own co-governors,” said political analyst Rachid Grime.
Africa’s fourth-largest economy relies heavily on oil revenues and tackles unemployment by more than 12%, according to the World Bank.
It was also heavily affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 3,500 people in the country, according to the Ministry of Health.
“Elections in Algeria have always shown that they are not the solution to the problem. The answer lies in the democratic transition, as well as the negotiations around the table to address the crisis,” said co-chair Sofiane Haddadji.
