Algeria’s Political Parties Launch Candidate Screening Ahead of Elections
As the Independent National Electoral Authority intensifies its administrative and security review of candidate files, a quiet but significant screening operation has been unfolding within several major Algerian political parties, dzwatch has learned.
Over the past week, party leaderships carried out what can only be described as a systematic exclusion process, disqualifying numerous aspiring candidates based on criteria established by specially convened internal committees — where the secretary-general’s opinion, though formally advisory, carries decisive and binding weight.
In contrast, one or two parties opted for more democratic and transparent mechanisms, submitting candidate selection to collective voting processes — mirroring procedures previously used by Mouvement de la Société pour la Paix and El Bina movement at their provincial offices.
Despite local-level vetting occurring before lists are forwarded for central validation, numerous figures within the National Liberation Front and the National Democratic Rally have exclusively told dzwatch they are deeply troubled by what they describe as “systematic and arbitrary exclusion” — a process critics say undermines genuine democratic participation ahead of the upcoming elections.
