Over 845,000 Algerians living abroad are called to the polls for a six-day period running until July 2. The voting process commenced on Saturday across the electoral framework set up within diplomatic missions and consulates.Voting activities are being managed at embassies, consulates, as well as stationary and mobile polling stations established across various nations home to sizeable Algerian communities on every continent.Officials have organized 439 polling stations distributed throughout 129 electoral centers integrated into Algeria’s international diplomatic network. This framework is designed to ensure an orderly election process while providing overseas voters with accommodations to counter the vast distances to polling sites. Public authorities have deployed substantial human resources, equipment, and logistical support, alongside a sprawling network of voting locations.
The primary goal remains ensuring the comprehensive involvement of the diaspora in national democratic affairs, allowing citizens to cast ballots under optimal standards of transparency, safety, and accessibility to select their delegates for the People’s National Assembly.
The expatriate electorate comprises 845,285 registered voters divided among eight geographical zones spanning Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, and the Gulf region.
According to statistics from the Independent National Electoral Authority (ANIE), 66 candidate slates have registered, featuring both political parties and independent factions. These nominees are competing for 12 seats in the People’s National Assembly, up from eight in previous legislative cycles, following a redistricting effort based on the population density of citizens residing abroad.
Consequently, matching the trend in France, which hosts the largest expatriate group, Algerians settled in Belgium and Luxembourg began entering polling stations on Saturday starting at 8 AM. To accommodate Belgium’s 18,000 voters, eight stations opened across Brussels, Ghent, Liege, Mons, Charleroi, Kortrijk, and Antwerp, with an additional site in Luxembourg.
In Italy, the local Algerian community also began casting ballots, signaling the launch of the international vote within that region. Spanning Rome, Naples, and Milan, Algerian nationals are exercising their civic duty through a system structured to secure a seamless voting operation. The Italian voting block totals 7,073 electors divided between the embassy in Rome and consulates in Naples and Milan, with five candidate slates contesting the zone. This specific district encompasses fourteen Southern European and Balkan nations, including Spain, Portugal, Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In Tunisia, citizens started voting on Saturday. The election involves 15,126 registered voters split among three Algerian consular missions operating in Tunisia: the Consulate General in Tunis, alongside consulates in El Kef and Gafsa. Twenty-one polling sites were established, blending stationary and mobile units. The Tunis mission oversees nine stations, while El Kef and Gafsa manage six each. Spread over multiple Tunisian directorates, these stations welcome voters daily from 8 AM to 7 PM throughout the election window.
Notably, diaspora balloting is scheduled 120 hours prior to the domestic vote, in alignment with the official timeline set by the Independent National Electoral Authority (ANIE).