Ahead of the local elections scheduled for November 28, the National Independent Authority for Elections (ANIE) detailed Tuesday the eligibility criteria, rules for constructing candidate lists, and presentation procedures. Furthermore, ANIE Council members approved on the same day the roster of municipal coordinators across 1,541 municipalities spanning 69 provinces for this election cycle.
In a press release issued Tuesday, ANIE reminded potential contenders that candidates must strictly be registered on the electoral rolls of the constituency in which they are running, be at least 23 years old on polling day, and hold solely Algerian nationality.
Applicants must also have completed national service or obtained an exemption, maintain a clean tax record, and have no final criminal convictions for felonies or misdemeanors, excluding non-unintentional offenses.
Another requirement outlined under Article 200, Paragraph 7, states that “the candidate must not be publicly known for connections to suspicious financial and commercial circles, nor exercise, directly or indirectly, influence over the voters’ free choice or the smooth conduct of the poll.”
In addition, civil servants and public agents subject to the ineligibility provisions outlined in Articles 188 and 190 of the electoral law cannot run for office, the statement noted.
ANIE specified that candidate lists must include a number of applicants exceeding the total available seats, meaning seven candidates when seat counts are odd and six when even. Likewise, candidate lists must fulfill multiple criteria under penalty of rejection, including a mandatory minimum of one-third female candidates—except in municipalities exceeding 20,000 residents—at least one-third university degree holders, and no less than 50% of candidates aged 40 or under on election day.
For party-affiliated or independent lists not meeting statutory conditions to be exempted from sponsorship requirements, ANIE set the threshold at 35 voter signatures per available seat. Political parties that secured at least 4% of cast votes during the last local elections or hold at least ten elected seats across the relevant province’s local popular assemblies are exempt from this rule.
A transitional provision applies to newly created provinces. Lists submitted by political parties fulfilling these criteria within their original provinces during the previous local elections are similarly exempted from signature collection.
The candidate filing package must contain documentation proving nationality, electoral registration, national service and tax compliance status, education levels, a passport photo, and an electoral platform. Lists affected by the mandatory one-third women quota can request an exemption from the Authority in accordance with legal provisions.
These regulations are primarily governed by Executive Order No. 21-01 of March 10, 2021, establishing the organic law on the electoral system, as amended and supplemented. In accordance with its Article 32 bis, the ANIE Council also reviewed and passed Monday the master list of municipal coordinators serving on special committees across all 69 provinces.