Algerians are set to elect a new president on Thursday after protesters toppled ailing leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika in April this year, ending 20 years in power. However, many voters plan to boycott the polls.

Tens of thousands of people in the North African country have marched weekly since April to demand a more thorough purge of the ruling elite. The army, the most powerful institution in Algeria, has pushed for the December 12 presidential election as the only way to end the crisis.

Read more: Bouteflika steps down after 20 years in charge: What's next for Algeria

Who are the front runners? 

Five candidates will run in the presidential election, including two former prime ministers Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Ali Benflis, former culture minister Azzedddine Mihoubi, former tourism minister Abdelkader Bengrine, and Abdelaziz Belaid, head of the El Mostakbal Movement party. 

They either supported former leader Bouteflika or participated in his government, and all have been the target of protesters' hostility.

In a televised debate on Friday – the first such broadcast event in Algeria's history – the five faced 13 questions, mainly on the political, economic and social situation in the country. 

One candidate, Abdelaziz Belaid, said he would hold a referendum to change the constitution while another, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, said he would grant all the freedoms sought by the protesters.

Why are protesters against the election?

Protesters have rejected the vote, saying it cannot be free or fair so long as the old guard remains in power. They said the election should take place only after sweeping reforms in the North African country.

A vast crowd rallied in Algiers on December 6, chanting "No to voting, we swear we will not stop!"  

Since Bouteflika stepped down, army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah has emerged as the country's de facto ruler. Last Tuesday, he called for a massive turnout in the poll, slamming what he dubbed detractors' "plotting against the fatherland". He said the vote would be an "important deadline" and "an electoral party".

Pro-government voices 

"Marches in support of the presidential vote are larger than those against it," the head of Algeria's election authority, Mohamed Charfi, said during an interview with Saudi-owned news channel Al-Hadath.

Government supporters took to the streets in Algeria on November 30 to show solidarity ahead of the polls.

The marches, organized by the General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA), attracted over 10,000 people across several cities. They held up banners reading, "Vote for Algeria" and "We are united forever".

They are the biggest public show of strength so far by pro-government groups in response to weekly mass protests.

What is the army's role?

Since Algeria's independence from France in 1962, the army has operated as "a state within a state", wielding discreet but vast political influence, said Kamal Cheklat, Maghreb specialist at the Centre for Sociological and Political Research in Paris.

"The Hirak wants to question all that," he said. That would represent "a real break in the order of things established by the Algerian military a long time ago."

After the "Hirak" movement of massive street rallies that led to Bouteflika's departure, all the spotlight is on Salah, military chief for 15 years.

"Even though officially he's just the deputy defense minister, he's emerged as the true master of the country," said Jean-Pierre Filiu, a professor at Sciences Po university in Paris who has written a book on the Hirak.

Military-backed authorities are now determined to end the crisis as quickly as possible.

(With inputs from agencies)