Elections to fill the 407-seat National People's Assembly (the lower house of parliament) have concluded in Algeria. As of 3:40 a.m. Bulgarian time on July 3, polling stations across the country were already closed after their working hours were extended by one hour to 8:00 p.m. local time in order to increase voter turnout.
According to preliminary data from the National Independent Electoral Authority (ANIE), the voter turnout was only 20.44%. This record low percentage reflects the deep disappointment and political apathy among the nearly 25 million electorate in Africa's largest country. Instead of political messages, citizens' focus remained on severe economic problems, declining purchasing power and curtailment of trade union and media freedoms.
The elections were marked by serious controversy after the electoral authorities disqualified a total of 269 candidates and canceled nearly a third of the candidate lists. Among those removed were a number of opposition figures and activists from the pro-democracy protest movement “Hirak“. The authorities justified their decisions with "links to illegal financial networks" and "questionable political activity", while the opposition accused the government of deliberately clearing the political space.
Despite the tension, current President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said that the vote had been smooth and transparent. The traditional pro-government forces, led by the National Liberation Front (NLF), are expected to retain and consolidate their majority in the new 5-year mandate of the parliament, followed by the moderate Islamist party “Movement of the Society for Peace“ (MSP). The official final results of the vote count will be announced in the coming days.
Source: BTA, AFP, AP