[1] The election had originally been scheduled for 18 April, but was postponed due to sustained weekly protests against plans by the incumbent president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to run for a fifth term.

[12] The Algerian Constitution of 2016 created the Haute instance indépendante de surveillance des élections [fr] (HIISE) to have overall responsibility for organising elections.

[7] Plans for a presidential election in Algeria in 2019 were a major factor motivating the start of the 2019 Algerian protests, with protestors objecting to the reelection of Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

[17][18] On 3 March 2019, a day after his 82nd birthday and while undergoing medical tests in Switzerland, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika formally submitted his candidacy, but said in a statement read on state TV that he would not serve a full term if re-elected.

The candidates whose appeals were rejected (09) are: Belkacem Sahili, Ali Skouri, Abdel Hakim Hammadi, Noui Kharchi, Muhammad Dhaif, Abdelhakim Hamadi, Mohammed BouAouina, Fares Mesdour, Raouf Ayeb.

[54] Thomson Reuters described the candidates as "men on the ballot [who] all have close links with the establishment, and though some of them pushed for reforms, many still see them as part of an entrenched, unchanging elite.

The official estimate of the turnout of just under 40% of eligible voters was the lowest of any Algerian presidential election held since independence, primarily due to boycotts by citizens and political parties alike.

[60] The low turnout, as well as the relatively high number of spoiled ballots out of those who did participate, was seen as a continuation of the pro-democracy protests that preceded the resignation of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, as all approved candidates in the election were seen as members of the political establishment.