Algeria: Media frenzy over French presidential election

Former French colonies in Africa are showing interest in the French presidential election.

In Algeria, the upcoming second round between centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron and far right candidate Marine Le Pen is been covered extensively by the press. Publishers say the wide coverage is justified by Algeria’s remarkable diaspora presence in France.

“We are showing this interest because Algeria’s legislative election does not seem interesting to cover. The stakes are not really high as we expected,” Ihsane El Kadi, Editor of the Huffington Post Algeria said.

Algeria’s vote for the parliamentary elections has been scheduled for May 2. While many handle the upcoming parliamentary vote in Algeria with less interest, the anti -immigration stance of far right candidate Marine Le Pen is seen as a major threat.

“This does not mean that we love France more than our country. Remember that many of our nationals are based in France and we are therefore obliged to follow their policy and trends. The fate of immigrants is not so clear now. If the elected candidate supports immigration things will be better, if that is not the case we would find ourselves in a similar situation like in the United States,” an Algerian trader said.

Algeria was at the centre of debates during the French presidential election.

During a visit to Algeria in March, Emmanuel Macron refered to colonisation as a crime against humanity. Although the stirred controversy it was widely appreciated not only in Algiers but across Africa.