In the run up to the legislative elections on 2 July 2026, Algeria is at a decisive moment for freedom of expression. The elections will take place in a context marked by persistent restrictions on critical voices and opposition groups, while plans to reform the country’s media framework and to ensure pluralism of information remain pending. These issues raise important questions about the conditions of public debate during the election period.
A new electoral framework that excludes the opposition
On 30 May 2026, the National Independent Electoral Authority (ANIE) invalidated a significant number of lists and candidates for the 2 July legislative elections, provoking strong reactions from opposition parties and civil society actors.
These decisions were based on the government’s amendment to Article 200 of the electoral law of 4 April 2026. The wording of this provision, considered imprecise by many experts and observers, gives the authorities a wide margin of appreciation in the examination of applications. The article authorises the rejection of any candidate considered to be linked to ‘dubious business circles’ or likely to exert an influence, directly or indirectly, on the free choice of voters and the proper conduct of the elections.
The application of this provision led to the exclusion of several individuals associated with the 2019 Hirak protest movement. The main opposition parties believe that these invalidations have considerably reduced their ability to participate in elections and denounce an extensive use of administrative mechanisms to control candidacies.
In addition, it important to consider the broader context, including the tightening of the legal framework governing political activity. The adoption of the new Law No. 26-08 of 23 April 2026 regarding political parties has raised many concerns among opposition parties and civil society actors, who see it as a strengthening of administrative supervision over party life.
While the Algerian authorities present this reform as a measure aimed at modernising and establishing a clearer framework for the way political parties and organisations operate, analysis of its articles, accompanied by the context in which it was adopted, reflects increased government control and power over essential areas, and a demand on parties to comply with these controls. This includes the accreditation and approval of parties, which requires political parties to provide extensive details about their activities, their sources of funding, and the way their parties are structured, making the organisations extremely vulnerable to the possibility of dissolution. New legislative provisions have been adopted in a broad formulation, likely to permit an overly broad interpretation of the grounds for intervention or sanction against political parties. This remains contrary to constitutional guarantees regarding partisan freedom, due to the fact that the new law could further limit the possibilities of expression and political initiatives in a context where the space for public debate in general has gradually narrowed in recent years.
Threats to public service media
The media regulatory framework remains marked by significant institutional shortcomings. More than three years after the adoption of the new and reformed media laws, several mechanisms have still not been put in place. The regulatory and self-regulatory authorities, announced as pillars of the new media system, are not yet fully operational, despite their essential role in ensuring the pluralism, independence, and transparency of the sector.
This situation is particularly notable at the level of the National Independent Audiovisual Regulatory Authority (ANIRA). To date, only the body’s interim president has been appointed, in 2024, without the process of appointing the other members (a total of 9) having been finalised. The absence of a fully constituted collegiate body raises questions about the independence, representative nature, and transparency of the audiovisual regulatory mechanism.
This institutional shortcoming contradicts international standards for media governance. Regulatory authorities must be constituted as independent, pluralistic, and collegial bodies with a specific mandate, benefiting from institutional guarantees protecting them against any undue political influence. Collegiality is considered an essential element of the transparency, impartiality, and legitimacy of regulatory decisions, which is not currently the case for ANIRA.
On 2 June, 2026, ANIRA called on public and private audiovisual media to respect the principles of neutrality, objectivity, and fairness in coverage of the legislative elections. The Authority insisted, in particular, for candidates to have equal access the media, for the media sector to take concrete action to confront disinformation and restrain from publishing or broadcasting about political issues in the days before the election in line with electoral guidelines, and for media outlets and organisations to prohibit content likely to, or aimed at, illegally influencing voters.
While these principles are in line with the standards generally applicable to media coverage of electoral processes, several shortcomings have been observed as the issue of equal access to the media remains a major concern in the lead up to parliamentary elections. Several political actors point out that opposition parties have limited visibility in public audiovisual media, which continues to be the main source of political information for a large part of the Algerian population. This contributes to the reduction in diversity of opinions available to the public during the election period and to the restriction of the possibilities of a fully pluralistic political debate, especially since there is a strong predominance of political actors close to the government within the most influential audiovisual spaces.
Safety of media professionals increasingly threatened
On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, celebrated in 2026 on 4 May, the Minister of Communication, Zoheir Bouamama, insisted that the exercise of freedom of expression in Algeria is ‘free from any pressure or restriction’, and yet several journalists and media professionals are facing repressive sentences because of their work in the media and/or in connection with their opinions.
One example is the case of Abdelwakil Blamm, an independent journalist who has been detained since 5 January 2025 on three charges without any tangible evidence, namely: Joining a terrorist organisation with knowledge of its objectives and activities; dissemination of false information likely to undermine security and public order; and undermining the unity and integrity of the national territory. On 14 May 2026, his trial was adjourned until the next criminal session, scheduled for October 2026. He remains in pre-trial detention.
Another case is that of journalist Mustapha Bendjama, who continues to face legal proceedings and restrictive measures, having been subjected to 11 trials since 2021. In February and March 2026, two separate courts sentenced him to suspended prison sentences in cases related to his journalistic activity and social media posts.
Hassan Bouras, a journalist and former member of the dissolved Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights (LADDH), faces constant threats. Formerly arrested and imprisoned in 2021, security service agents from the city of El Bayadh again arrested Bouras on 12 April, 2026 outside his home. A search was then carried out at his family home during the same evening. Officers searched the premises before seizing computer equipment, including his laptop. Authorities placed him in pre-trial detention on 13 April, 2026, following the decision of the investigating judge at the court of El Bayadh as part of a judicial investigation on several counts, including criminal and misdemeanour qualifications. Bouras has been on hunger strike since 3 May 2026, and he suffers from a fragile, deteriorating state of health as he has been diagnosed with heart disease and asthma.
On 4 December 2025, 79-year-old journalist Saad Bouakba, one of the doyens of Algerian journalism, was sentenced by the court of Bir Mourad Raïs (Algiers) to a three-year suspended prison sentence, along with a fine of one million Algerian dinars (7,500 USD). He is accused of contempt and defamation against symbols of the National Liberation Revolution for raising a historical question regarding the ‘treasures of the National Liberation Front’ (FLN), an expression that refers to the funds collected by the nationalist movement to support the war effort during the struggle for the independence of Algeria and the involvement of former president Ahmed Ben Bella. The sentence followed a complaint lodged by the daughter of Ahmed Ben Bella, considered an emblematic figure of the Algerian revolution.
The case also had consequences for the media outlet that broadcast the interview. Abderrahim Haraoui, head of the online channel Vision TV on which Saad Bouakba’s interview was broadcast, was given a one-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of 500,000 Algerian dinars (USD 3,750). The court also ordered the permanent closure of the channel and the confiscation of its broadcasting equipment.
Considering the concerns documented in this analysis, we call on the Algerian authorities to:
- Ensure the full and transparent establishment of the regulatory and self-regulatory authorities provided for in the existing media legislation.
- Ensure a safe, stable environment free from any form of pressure or interference for journalists, media professionals, and other media actors, allowing them to freely exercise their mission in the public interest.
- End prosecutions, arbitrary detentions, and restrictions on journalists, media workers, and anyone sanctioned for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression, and release those detained for their journalistic activities or the expression of their opinions.
- Ensure the protection of journalistic sources and refrain from any measures that could undermine the editorial independence or investigative work of the media.
- Ensure that all political parties, candidates, and channels of opinion have fair access to the media, in particular the public audiovisual media, in accordance with the principles of pluralism and equal treatment during election periods.
- Ensure that provisions of electoral legislation and legislation relating to political parties are not used in a restrictive or discriminatory manner to limit political participation, public debate, or the expression of critical opinions.
- Strengthen the transparency of the decision-making processes of the institutions responsible for regulating the media and organising elections, in particular by ensuring independent oversight and effective redress mechanisms.
- Fully comply with Algeria’s international human rights commitments, including those under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and international standards on freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and democratic participation.