Upcoming Elections
Afghanistan Presidential – September 28, 2019 (further delays possible)
Freedom House Rating: Not Free
Government Type: Presidential Islamic Republic
Population: 35 million
Afghanistan held long-delayed parliamentary elections in October 2018, marred by violence and administrative problems. In order to fix problems from the legislative elections, the presidential election has been delayed twice. President Ashraf Ghani’s term ended on May 22, 2019, but he has remained in office, despite calls for a caretaker government, infuriating some. Ghani became president in 2014 in a power sharing deal with his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, following a flawed election. Presidential campaign is gearing up right in the middle of peace negotiations between the United States and the Taliban.
Pamela Constable, Washington Post: “Taliban threats, poll closures raise fears for credibility of Afghan elections”
Elise Burr and Andrew Shaver, Washington Post’s Monkey Cage: “Afghanistan’s election on Saturday could be bloodier than expected. This explains why.”
Tunisia Parliamentary – October 6, 2019 and Presidential Second Round – October 13, 2019 (expected – not yet confirmed)
Freedom House Rating: Free
Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Population: 11.5 million
Tunisia began transitioning to democracy in 2011, amid the Arab Spring protests, and this year, the country will hold the third national elections since the fall of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Under Tunisia’s semi-presidential system, the president has broad authority over foreign and defense policy while the prime minister oversees domestic policy.
Ennadha, which presents itself as a moderate, pro-democracy Islamist party but holds some retrograde views, won the first post-Ben Ali elections, but in the 2014 parliamentary elections, the secularist Nidaa Tounes won the most seats. In 2018, Tunisia held long-delayed municipal elections, which saw independent candidates win the most seats, followed by Ennadha. President Beji Caid Essebsi of Nidaa Tounes, who became Tunisia’s first democratically-elected president in 2014, died at age 92 on July 25, 2019. The presidential election – originally scheduled for November – was moved to September 15.
Twenty-six candidates ran for president and the election was highly competitive, and the results shocked the political establishment. Two political outsiders will advance to the second round: law professor Kais Saied and jailed media mogul Nabil Karoui. Both could be considered populists, but in very different ways. The results indicated a rejection of the main political parties. The parliamentary elections look to produce a fractious legislature.
Rory McCarthy, New York Times: “The Future of Democracy in Tunisia: A recent vote was the rejection of the way the political elite has conducted politics in the years after the Arab Spring….Many Tunisians hope that this public rejection of the political elite will reset the system and revive the promises of the 2011 uprising for accountable, legitimate government and wider economic opportunities for all.”
Oussama Romdhani and Ellen Laipson, The Hill: “The top vote-getters in the first round, Kais Saied and Nabil Karoui, have in common fuzzy programs, lack of experience in public office and major populist appeal. Otherwise, they could not be more different.”
Alessandra Bajec, The Independent: “Ben Ali’s death marks the official end of autocracy in Tunisia – but the nation isn’t out of the woods yet. The shadow of the exiled former leader is no longer a burden on the country, but corruption, unemployment and poor living conditions, which Tunisians revolted against in 2011, haven’t gone away either.”
Updated September 26, 2019
Reuters: “Tunisian presidential candidate Kais Saied said on Thursday he was uncomfortable that his rival, media tycoon Nabil Karoui, was still in prison nearly three weeks before a presidential election run-off vote….A Karoui victory in the second round expected on Oct.13 could raise difficult legal and constitutional questions given that he is detained awaiting a verdict.”
Sasha Toperich and Jonathan Roberts, The Hill: “Tunisia’s presidential elections: The onset of a constitutional crisis”
Algeria Presidential – December 12, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Not Free
Government Type: Presidential Republic
Population: 41.7 million
Algerian politics are dominated by Le Pouvoir, a small group of elite from the military and the ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) party. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, aged 82 and unable to walk or talk, was going to run for a fifth term in the election originally scheduled for April, but tens of thousands of Algerians protested for two months, and Bouteflika resigned.
The election was moved to July 4, but then the Constitutional Council cancelled the vote. Months later, the interim government set a date of December 12. Protests continue. Protesters are demanding assurances that any new elections will be free and fair, and that the rest of the ruling elite resign before any vote takes place.
Reuters: “Algeria’s powerful army chief on Tuesday urged massive participation in a presidential election planned for December, responding for the first time to protests rejecting the planned vote.”
Updated September 25, 2019
Edward Yeranian, VOA: “Sentences against four of the once most powerful men in Algeria were handed down in the middle of the night by a military tribunal in Blida after a trial which lasted two days. Former intelligence chiefs Bachir Tartaq and Mohamed Mediene were given 15-year sentences, alongside former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s brother and right-hand man, Said. Former Defense Minister Khaled Nezzar received a 20-year sentence in absentia.”
Past Elections
Israel Snap Parliamentary – September 17, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free
Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy
Population: 8.4 million
Israel – nicknamed the “startup nation” – is a vibrant democracy. In September, Israelis head to the polls again in an unprecedented do-over of parliamentary elections after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s center-right Likud was unable to form a coalition following April’s elections. Netanyahu dissolved the Knesset and called for new elections rather than giving former IDF chief Benny Gantz and his newly-formed centrist Kahol Lavan (Blue and White) the chance to try to form a government.
The most recent election produced an equally inconclusive result. Israel’s president invited Netanyahu to make the first attempt to form a government, but his success is far from assured. If Netanyahu fails to form a government, either Gantz could form one or the country hold yet another election, the third in a year.
Natan Sachs, Brookings Institution: “Israel’s second election of 2019 managed to produce both high drama and anticlimax. The top-line result: There is no clear winner. Neither the right-wing bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, nor the center-left bloc led by former military Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, commanded a majority of the 120 seats in the 22nd Knesset. But there was still a loser of sorts: Netanyahu.”
Oren Liebermann, CNN: “Why no one in Israel seems able to win an election”
Aron Heller, AP: “Israel’s election highlights secular-religious divide”
Updated September 26, 2019
Gemma Fox and Bel Trew, The Independent: “Benjamin Netanyahu asked to form new Israeli government, president’s office says. Netanyahu now has 28 days to form a coalition.”
Aaron David Miller, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: “Avigdor Lieberman and the party he leads, Yisrael Beitenu, captured eight seats but has so far refused to commit to either bloc, leaving Lieberman a potential kingmaker and Israel with few good options.”
Middle East
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Last Updated: September 29, 2019 by 21votes
September 25, 2019
Each day, 21votes gathers election news, analysis, and opinions from a different region of the world. We explore the greater Middle East and North Africa on Tuesdays. Click the map pins.
Afghanistan Presidential – September 28, 2019 (further delays possible)
Freedom House Rating: Not Free
Government Type: Presidential Islamic Republic
Population: 35 million
Afghanistan held long-delayed parliamentary elections in October 2018, marred by violence and administrative problems. In order to fix problems from the legislative elections, the presidential election has been delayed twice. President Ashraf Ghani’s term ended on May 22, 2019, but he has remained in office, despite calls for a caretaker government, infuriating some. Ghani became president in 2014 in a power sharing deal with his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, following a flawed election. Presidential campaign is gearing up right in the middle of peace negotiations between the United States and the Taliban.
Tunisia Parliamentary – October 6, 2019 and Presidential Second Round - October 13, 2019 (expected - not yet confirmed)
Freedom House Rating: Free
Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Population: 11.5 million
Tunisia began transitioning to democracy in 2011, amid the Arab Spring protests, and this year, the country will hold the third national elections since the fall of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Under Tunisia’s semi-presidential system, the president has broad authority over foreign and defense policy while the prime minister oversees domestic policy.
Ennadha, which presents itself as a moderate, pro-democracy Islamist party but holds some retrograde views, won the first post-Ben Ali elections, but in the 2014 parliamentary elections, the secularist Nidaa Tounes won the most seats. In 2018, Tunisia held long-delayed municipal elections, which saw independent candidates win the most seats, followed by Ennadha. President Beji Caid Essebsi of Nidaa Tounes, who became Tunisia’s first democratically-elected president in 2014, died at age 92 on July 25, 2019. The presidential election – originally scheduled for November – was moved to September 15.
Twenty-six candidates ran for president and the election was highly competitive, and the results shocked the political establishment. Two political outsiders will advance to the second round: law professor Kais Saied and jailed media mogul Nabil Karoui. Both could be considered populists, but in very different ways. The results indicated a rejection of the main political parties. The parliamentary elections look to produce a fractious legislature.
Algeria Presidential – December 12, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Not Free
Government Type: Presidential Republic
Population: 41.7 million
Algerian politics are dominated by Le Pouvoir, a small group of elite from the military and the ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) party. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, aged 82 and unable to walk or talk, was going to run for a fifth term in the election originally scheduled for April, but tens of thousands of Algerians protested for two months, and Bouteflika resigned.
The election was moved to July 4, but then the Constitutional Council cancelled the vote. Months later, the interim government set a date of Decembe 12. Protests continue. Protesters are demanding assurances that any new elections will be free and fair, and that the rest of the ruling elite resign before any vote takes place.
Israel Snap Parliamentary – September 17, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free
Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy
Population: 8.4 million
Israel – nicknamed the “startup nation” – is a vibrant democracy. In September, Israelis head to the polls again in an unprecedented do-over of parliamentary elections after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s center-right Likud was unable to form a coalition following April’s elections. Netanyahu dissolved the Knesset and called for new elections rather than giving former IDF chief Benny Gantz and his newly-formed centrist Kahol Lavan (Blue and White) the chance to try to form a government.
The most recent election produced an equally inconclusive result. Israel’s president invited Netanyahu to make the first attempt to form a government, but his success is far from assured. If Netanyahu fails to form a government, either Gantz could form one or the country hold yet another election, the third in a year.
Upcoming Elections
Afghanistan Presidential – September 28, 2019 (further delays possible)
Freedom House Rating: Not Free
Government Type: Presidential Islamic Republic
Population: 35 million
Afghanistan held long-delayed parliamentary elections in October 2018, marred by violence and administrative problems. In order to fix problems from the legislative elections, the presidential election has been delayed twice. President Ashraf Ghani’s term ended on May 22, 2019, but he has remained in office, despite calls for a caretaker government, infuriating some. Ghani became president in 2014 in a power sharing deal with his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, following a flawed election. Presidential campaign is gearing up right in the middle of peace negotiations between the United States and the Taliban.
Pamela Constable, Washington Post: “Taliban threats, poll closures raise fears for credibility of Afghan elections”
Elise Burr and Andrew Shaver, Washington Post’s Monkey Cage: “Afghanistan’s election on Saturday could be bloodier than expected. This explains why.”
Tunisia Parliamentary – October 6, 2019 and Presidential Second Round – October 13, 2019 (expected – not yet confirmed)
Freedom House Rating: Free
Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Population: 11.5 million
Tunisia began transitioning to democracy in 2011, amid the Arab Spring protests, and this year, the country will hold the third national elections since the fall of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Under Tunisia’s semi-presidential system, the president has broad authority over foreign and defense policy while the prime minister oversees domestic policy.
Ennadha, which presents itself as a moderate, pro-democracy Islamist party but holds some retrograde views, won the first post-Ben Ali elections, but in the 2014 parliamentary elections, the secularist Nidaa Tounes won the most seats. In 2018, Tunisia held long-delayed municipal elections, which saw independent candidates win the most seats, followed by Ennadha. President Beji Caid Essebsi of Nidaa Tounes, who became Tunisia’s first democratically-elected president in 2014, died at age 92 on July 25, 2019. The presidential election – originally scheduled for November – was moved to September 15.
Twenty-six candidates ran for president and the election was highly competitive, and the results shocked the political establishment. Two political outsiders will advance to the second round: law professor Kais Saied and jailed media mogul Nabil Karoui. Both could be considered populists, but in very different ways. The results indicated a rejection of the main political parties. The parliamentary elections look to produce a fractious legislature.
Rory McCarthy, New York Times: “The Future of Democracy in Tunisia: A recent vote was the rejection of the way the political elite has conducted politics in the years after the Arab Spring….Many Tunisians hope that this public rejection of the political elite will reset the system and revive the promises of the 2011 uprising for accountable, legitimate government and wider economic opportunities for all.”
Oussama Romdhani and Ellen Laipson, The Hill: “The top vote-getters in the first round, Kais Saied and Nabil Karoui, have in common fuzzy programs, lack of experience in public office and major populist appeal. Otherwise, they could not be more different.”
Alessandra Bajec, The Independent: “Ben Ali’s death marks the official end of autocracy in Tunisia – but the nation isn’t out of the woods yet. The shadow of the exiled former leader is no longer a burden on the country, but corruption, unemployment and poor living conditions, which Tunisians revolted against in 2011, haven’t gone away either.”
Updated September 26, 2019
Reuters: “Tunisian presidential candidate Kais Saied said on Thursday he was uncomfortable that his rival, media tycoon Nabil Karoui, was still in prison nearly three weeks before a presidential election run-off vote….A Karoui victory in the second round expected on Oct.13 could raise difficult legal and constitutional questions given that he is detained awaiting a verdict.”
Sasha Toperich and Jonathan Roberts, The Hill: “Tunisia’s presidential elections: The onset of a constitutional crisis”
Algeria Presidential – December 12, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Not Free
Government Type: Presidential Republic
Population: 41.7 million
Algerian politics are dominated by Le Pouvoir, a small group of elite from the military and the ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) party. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, aged 82 and unable to walk or talk, was going to run for a fifth term in the election originally scheduled for April, but tens of thousands of Algerians protested for two months, and Bouteflika resigned.
The election was moved to July 4, but then the Constitutional Council cancelled the vote. Months later, the interim government set a date of December 12. Protests continue. Protesters are demanding assurances that any new elections will be free and fair, and that the rest of the ruling elite resign before any vote takes place.
Reuters: “Algeria’s powerful army chief on Tuesday urged massive participation in a presidential election planned for December, responding for the first time to protests rejecting the planned vote.”
Updated September 25, 2019
Edward Yeranian, VOA: “Sentences against four of the once most powerful men in Algeria were handed down in the middle of the night by a military tribunal in Blida after a trial which lasted two days. Former intelligence chiefs Bachir Tartaq and Mohamed Mediene were given 15-year sentences, alongside former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s brother and right-hand man, Said. Former Defense Minister Khaled Nezzar received a 20-year sentence in absentia.”
Past Elections
Israel Snap Parliamentary – September 17, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free
Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy
Population: 8.4 million
Israel – nicknamed the “startup nation” – is a vibrant democracy. In September, Israelis head to the polls again in an unprecedented do-over of parliamentary elections after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s center-right Likud was unable to form a coalition following April’s elections. Netanyahu dissolved the Knesset and called for new elections rather than giving former IDF chief Benny Gantz and his newly-formed centrist Kahol Lavan (Blue and White) the chance to try to form a government.
The most recent election produced an equally inconclusive result. Israel’s president invited Netanyahu to make the first attempt to form a government, but his success is far from assured. If Netanyahu fails to form a government, either Gantz could form one or the country hold yet another election, the third in a year.
Natan Sachs, Brookings Institution: “Israel’s second election of 2019 managed to produce both high drama and anticlimax. The top-line result: There is no clear winner. Neither the right-wing bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, nor the center-left bloc led by former military Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, commanded a majority of the 120 seats in the 22nd Knesset. But there was still a loser of sorts: Netanyahu.”
Oren Liebermann, CNN: “Why no one in Israel seems able to win an election”
Aron Heller, AP: “Israel’s election highlights secular-religious divide”
Updated September 26, 2019
Gemma Fox and Bel Trew, The Independent: “Benjamin Netanyahu asked to form new Israeli government, president’s office says. Netanyahu now has 28 days to form a coalition.”
Aaron David Miller, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: “Avigdor Lieberman and the party he leads, Yisrael Beitenu, captured eight seats but has so far refused to commit to either bloc, leaving Lieberman a potential kingmaker and Israel with few good options.”
The Year Ahead: Middle East
Egypt local (due 2019 – date not set – delays likely); Libya (international community wants presidential or legislative elections this year – delays highly likely); Algeria presidential (July 4 – cancelled); Israel snap parliamentary (September 17); Afghanistan presidential (September 28); Tunisia presidential and parliamentary (September 15 and November 17); Iraq provincial (November 16); Iran parliamentary (February 2020); Palestinian Authority legislative (elections overdue – new government says they aim to hold elections but no date set)
21votes does not necessarily endorse all of the views in all of the linked articles or publications. More on our approach here.
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Category: This Week Tags: Afghanistan, Algeria, Israel, Tunisia