---
title: "Algeria votes for a new parliament, seven years after the Hirak uprising"
description: "Algerians go to the polls on Thursday to elect a new National Assembly — a test of a political system reshaped since the 2019 Hirak protests, and one many voters and opposition figures approach with deep skepticism."
category: "World"
category_url: https://newsparlor.com/category/world
author: "Aisha Carter"
published: 2026-07-01T02:20:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-01T02:20:00.000Z
canonical: https://newsparlor.com/article/algeria-votes-for-a-new-parliament-seven-years-after-the-hirak-uprising
tags: ["algeria", "elections", "hirak", "north-africa", "tebboune"]
---
# Algeria votes for a new parliament, seven years after the Hirak uprising

Algerians go to the polls on Thursday to elect a new National Assembly — a test of a political system reshaped since the 2019 Hirak protests, and one many voters and opposition figures approach with deep skepticism.

Algeria holds legislative elections on Thursday, filling the seats of the People's National Assembly in a vote that many at home and abroad see less as a moment of change than as a measure of how firmly the country's establishment has consolidated its hold.

## A vote under a shadow of doubt

The ballot, [reported by Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/1/algeria-to-vote-in-test-of-post-hirak-political-landscape), comes with more than 24 million registered voters eligible to take part. But expectations of a high turnout are low. The last legislative election, in 2021, drew only about 23 percent participation, according to [Middle East Eye](https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/no-reshape-algeria-prepares-legislative-elections-few-hold-hope-for-change) — a figure widely read as a sign of public disengagement from formal politics.

The election also follows a constitutional amendment earlier this year that reordered executive authority. Supporters describe the changes as technical modernization; critics, including opposition parties, argue they further concentrate power in the presidency and weaken the independent electoral body created in the wake of the 2019 protests.

## The Hirak's long echo

In 2019, mass peaceful demonstrations — known as the Hirak, Arabic for "the movement" — forced the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who had governed for two decades. The protests were remarkable for their scale and their discipline, and they briefly seemed to promise a wider political opening.

Seven years on, that promise is contested. Rights groups say many activists associated with the movement have been prosecuted or barred from organizing, and that press freedom has narrowed. The government maintains that it is simply applying the law and that eligibility rules apply to everyone; opposition figures counter that the rules are used to sideline independent and reform-minded candidates. Middle East Eye reported that electoral authorities disqualified roughly 3,174 of some 10,168 prospective candidates.

## Continuity at the top

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2024, has framed the process as the building of a "new Algeria." His critics argue that the National Assembly functions largely as a chamber that ratifies decisions taken elsewhere, with real authority resting with the presidency and the military-backed establishment.

Some opposition parties that boycotted the 2021 vote, including the Socialist Forces Front, are taking part this time — a choice their leaders describe as an attempt to contest the system from within rather than an endorsement of it. A party law passed alongside this year's constitutional changes tightens government oversight of political organizations, a step international observers have flagged as a further squeeze on political space.

## Why it matters beyond Algeria

Algeria is a major North African power and a significant energy supplier, sending natural gas to Europe, so its political direction carries weight well beyond its borders. A genuinely plural parliament would suggest an opening; a weak and fragmented opposition would reinforce the picture of a tightly managed contest.

For now, the most closely watched number may be turnout itself. A strong showing would let the government claim renewed legitimacy; a poor one would echo 2021 and underline how many Algerians remain unconvinced that their votes will change how the country is run.

## Sources

- [Algeria to vote in test of post-Hirak political landscape](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/1/algeria-to-vote-in-test-of-post-hirak-political-landscape)
- ['No reshape': Algeria prepares for legislative elections but few hold hope for change](https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/no-reshape-algeria-prepares-legislative-elections-few-hold-hope-for-change)