Algerian Radio
The Independent National Authority for Elections (ANIE) reminded the public in a statement on Monday of the requirements for candidacy for the National People's Assembly (APN) elections scheduled for July 2, following the summoning of the electorate by the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
The Authority clarified that any candidate running under the banner of one or more political parties, or as an independent list, must be "registered on the electoral roll of the constituency in which they are running and reside in the geographic area they wish to represent (for candidates abroad)." Candidates must be at least 25 years old on election day, hold Algerian nationality, and provide proof of fulfillment or exemption from national service. They must not have a final court conviction involving a custodial sentence for a felony or misdemeanor that has not been rehabilitated, with the exception of involuntary offenses.
Furthermore, candidates must "prove their status with the tax administration, either by having paid all due taxes, through a payment schedule, or by proving they are not subject to taxation." They must not be publicly known for links to suspicious business or financial circles or for directly or indirectly influencing the free choice of voters and the integrity of the electoral process. Additionally, a candidate must not have already served two parliamentary terms, whether consecutive or separate.
Another condition stipulates that candidates must not hold positions that render them ineligible until one year after leaving office within the jurisdiction, as specified in Article 199 of Ordinance No. 21-01 dated March 10, 2021.
Regarding the composition of the candidate lists, the Authority noted that "the list must include a number of candidates exceeding the number of seats to be filled in the constituency by seven (7) if the number of seats is odd, and by six (6) if the number of seats is even." At least one-third of the candidates on the list must be women, half must be under the age of 40, and at least one-third must have a university education. No individual may run on more than one list or in more than one constituency.
The statement also noted that candidate lists under the banner of one or more political parties or as an independent list are endorsed through various formulas. Endorsement is granted to "political parties that obtained more than 4% of the votes cast in the constituency during the last legislative elections, as well as political parties that have at least 10 elected officials in the constituency."
For political parties that do not meet either of the two aforementioned conditions, or those participating in elections for the first time, the candidate list must be supported by 150 signatures from the voters of the concerned constituency for each seat to be filled. This same procedure applies to independent lists.
For constituencies abroad, candidate lists are endorsed under the banner of one or more political parties. Independent lists abroad must be supported by 100 signatures from the voters of the concerned constituency for each seat to be filled.
Regarding the collective candidacy declaration file, it must include "an endorsement certificate from the political party or parties for lists running under a party banner, as well as copies of the birth certificate, voter card or certificate of registration on the electoral roll, and proof of national service status for each candidate."
The file must also contain "a certificate proving the educational level of each candidate, a document proving each candidate's status with the tax administration, a recent photograph of each candidate, and a completed and signed information card for each candidate."
Additionally, the file must include "a document proving the type of endorsement according to the following cases: the party obtaining more than 4% of the votes in the concerned constituency in the last legislative elections, or the party having at least 10 elected officials in the concerned constituency." This is alongside "an original copy of the minutes prepared by the head of the wilaya electoral committee for the concerned constituency regarding lists required to submit individual signature forms."
Finally, the file must include "the election campaign program and, where applicable, a certificate of exemption from the one-third requirement regarding the representation of women," according to the Authority's clarifications.
