Election Day · Paid leave

Thursday, July 2, 2026 was Algeria's election day for the People's National Assembly. Presidential Decree 26-145 summoned the electorate for that date, and polling stations opened nationwide for voters to choose the lower house. This was a year-specific electoral event rather than a recurring anniversary, so the definition must return no calendar occurrence in later years unless another verified measure is added.

A joint statement from the General Directorate of Civil Service and Administrative Reform and the Ministry of Labour granted workers a special full-day absence without loss of pay so they could vote. The measure covered employees of public institutions and administrations and public and private bodies in all sectors, regardless of legal status, including daily and hourly workers. Calling it special paid leave is more precise than treating election day as part of the permanent statutory-holiday list.

Institutions and businesses using shift systems still had to maintain service, so not every workplace physically closed. Voting, campaign silence and election administration followed electoral law, while political support or abstention remained individual choices. This guide records the verified 2026 labour measure neutrally; it does not endorse candidates, characterise the election's legitimacy, or imply that every future Algerian election automatically produces an identical paid day.