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Preliminary Results of Algeria’s Parliamentary Elections Announced

On Monday, Algeria announced the preliminary results of the parliamentary elections held on 2 July, in which the 407 members of the National People’s Assembly, the lower house of the Algerian Parliament, were elected for a five-year term. According to the results, the pro-government Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) once again emerged as the strongest force with 90 seats, although it lost eight mandates compared with the previous election in 2021. The Rassemblement National Démocratique (RND) came second with 73 seats, representing a gain of 15 seats. The Front El Moustakbal also increased its representation, winning 59 seats, an increase of nine mandates. The Mouvement de la Société pour la Paix (MSP), Algeria’s largest Islamist party, meanwhile lost 22 seats and ranked fourth with 43 mandates. Among the opposition parties that had boycotted the previous election in protest against democratic restrictions, the Front des Forces Socialistes (FFS) returned to parliament with 12 seats, while Sawt Echaâb secured 17 seats.

According to official figures, voter turnout stood at 21.4%, marking a new historic low after the 2021 parliamentary elections, which saw a turnout of around 23%. This came despite President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s call for “mass participation”. Karim Khelfane, interim head of the Independent National Electoral Authority (ANIE), praised the election as transparent and rejected criticism over the low turnout, arguing that the trend could also be observed beyond Algeria. However, observers have described the result as a defeat both for the government and for the opposition parties, which, despite ending their boycott, failed to mobilise their support base.

While some experts had viewed the return of opposition parties as a positive political signal, others saw it primarily as a response to institutional pressure. Under a new law on political parties adopted this spring, parties face the threat of dissolution if they boycott two consecutive elections. The legislation is accompanied by an electoral reform that gives greater weight to regulating the composition of candidate lists. Under the new rules, one third of candidates must hold a university degree, while half of all candidates must not be older than the age of 40. The proportion of women on candidate lists has been reduced from 50% to one third. In particular, Article 200 of the revised electoral law sparked strong criticism ahead of the election. It grants the electoral authority broad discretion to exclude candidates suspected of links to questionable financial and business circles. Citing this provision, the authorities removed around one third of applicants from the candidate lists.

Overall, Algeria’s parliament primarily serves a confirmatory function. During the previous legislative term, it introduced virtually no legislative proposals of its own. Since the end of the Hirak (Arabic for “movement”) protests, which led to the resignation of long-serving President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 2019, the authorities have increasingly restricted political space and freedom of assembly. The parliamentary election was also closely monitored in Europe. In recent years, Algeria has become an important energy partner for the European Union and also plays a significant role in matters of migration and stability in the Sahel region. Against this background, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to receive Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Berlin on 16 July. According to the German government, the meeting will focus on bilateral relations as well as cooperation in energy and economic policy.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on a tour of Africa

As part of his tour of Africa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov arrived in Niamey, Niger, on Wednesday. There, he took part in the second round of consultations between the foreign ministers of Russia and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) – Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The talks focused on strengthening the strategic partnership between Russia and the AES states, as well as on further institutionalising the consultation format introduced in 2025. Both sides declared their intention to further deepen their cooperation in the fields of politics, diplomacy, security, the economy, energy and social affairs. Russia also reaffirmed its support for the development of the operational capabilities of the armed forces of the AES member states. In a joint statement, Russia and the AES condemned several terrorist attacks in the Sahel region in recent months; in Mali, among other places, armed groups had once again carried out several attacks last weekend, following a coordinated offensive there at the end of April (Press Review CW 18/2026). At the conclusion of the talks, Lavrov, on behalf of President Vladimir Putin, invited the heads of state of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to the third Russia–Africa Summit, to be held in Moscow on 28–29 October this year.

Prior to his visit to Niger, Lavrov had stopped off in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Monday. There, he met with the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf. During the talks, Russia and the AU agreed to further institutionalise their cooperation and to hold high-level consultations at least once a year in future. Sectoral dialogues and expert discussions between Russia and the relevant AU institutions are intended to deepen cooperation. Plans also include further developing cooperation in the areas of peace and security, trade, investment, energy, infrastructure, agriculture and health. Youssouf emphasised the need to expand the volume of trade between Russia and Africa. According to Russian authorities, this most recently stood at around 27 billion US dollars. Both sides also agreed to draw up a new action plan for the years 2027 to 2029, to be adopted at the Russia–Africa Summit. With regard to multilateral issues, Russia reaffirmed, amongst other things, its support for African calls for reform of the UN Security Council and for greater African representation on the body. Both sides also called for the swift and effective implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2719, adopted in 2023, which, under certain conditions, allows for the financing of AU-led peacekeeping missions through mandatory UN contributions. In Addis Ababa, Lavrov also met with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos. Among other things, they discussed cooperation within the BRICS-Plus group and the expansion of bilateral energy cooperation, following the adoption in March by Addis Ababa and Moscow of a roadmap for the construction of a nuclear power station in Ethiopia.

Following stops in Ethiopia and Niger, Lavrov continued his trip on Thursday with a two-day visit to Mozambique, where he met President Daniel Chapo and his counterpart Maria Manuela dos Santos Lucas. The talks with African partners were aimed, amongst other things, at preparing for the above mentioned third Russia–Africa Summit. The previous summits took place in Sochi in 2019 and in Saint Petersburg in 2023, and are regarded as key instruments for Russia to deepen political relations with African states and expand economic cooperation. Russia has systematically expanded its relations with African states since the 2010s. Since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in 2022, African countries have become increasingly important to Moscow, particularly as political partners in international organisations and as economic and export markets.

In other news – World Cup Special

This week, the remaining knockout matches involving African teams at the 2026 FIFA World Cup were settled. On Saturday, Morocco booked their place in the Round of 16 with a 3–0 victory over Canada, courtesy of a brace from Azzedine Ounahi and a goal from Soufiane Rahimi, simultaneously eliminating the first host nation from the tournament. The “Atlas Lions” not only emerged as the only African side to reach this year’s quarter-finals, but also became the first African team to qualify for the quarter-finals at two consecutive FIFA World Cups. This time, however, the tournament ended for the team at the quarter-final stage – once again against France. Just as in the 2022 semi-finals, the “Atlas Lions” were beaten 2–0 by the French on Thursday evening. Egypt had secured their place in the Round of 16 the previous Friday after defeating Australia in a penalty shoot-out. However, their tournament ended on Tuesday following a thrilling 3–2 defeat to reigning world champions Argentina. Although the “Pharaohs” took the lead through goals from Yasser Ibrahim (15th minute) and Mostafa Ziko (67th minute), Argentina turned the match around during the final 15 minutes. The match was particularly defined by Egypt’s resolute defensive display and a series of outstanding saves from goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. World Cup debutant Cape Verde, who had remained unbeaten up to that point, was previously also eliminated by Argentina in the Round of 32. The island nation suffered a dramatic 3–2 defeat after extra time. Following an Argentina-dominated first half, Deroy Duarte brought Cape Verde back into the contest and forced extra time, where Argentina ultimately prevailed. Upon their return to the capital, Praia, on Sunday, the team were welcomed home by thousands of proud supporters. Ghana’s campaign also came to an end in the Round of 32, as they were beaten 1–0 by Colombia.