Local elections campaign kicks off under strict regulatory guidelines

Campaigning for the upcoming municipal and wilaya popular assembly elections, scheduled for November 28, officially started this Thursday. Candidates are competing to persuade voters in a process that enhances citizen participation in development decisions. Governed by a precise legal framework, the campaign begins 23 days prior to polling day and concludes three full days before the vote to enter the electoral silence period. Political discourse is subject to strict standards prohibiting the exploitation of national constants, the incitement of regionalism or hatred, the use of foreign languages, and the partisan employment of national identity elements. To ensure equal opportunity and administrative neutrality, the law bans using state resources, public entities, educational and university institutions, and places of worship for propaganda, restricting campaigns to authorized halls, grassroots meetings, and designated poster spaces monitored by election authorities. To eliminate corrupt money from politics, legislation strictly defines legitimate funding sources as party contributions, personal funds, and cash or in-kind donations exclusively from natural persons, while the state provides financial aid to young candidates on independent lists. Campaign finances face rigorous audits by a dedicated oversight committee, banning foreign or corporate funding and requiring a single bank account per list. Following the campaign, a 72-hour electoral silence period begins, halting all promotional activities and opinion polls. The national electoral body recorded 24,236,959 registered voters domestically. Candidate figures reached 141,388 for municipal seats and 21,476 for wilaya seats, comprising 54.02 percent youth, 11.86 percent women, and 48.48 percent university degree holders. The head of the Independent National Authority for Elections, Said Arouss, urged candidates to adhere to electoral ethics, respect the law, safeguard personal dignity, and avoid misleading discourse.