Algerians voted in Saturday’s presidential election, with polling stations open from 8:00 a.m. (07:00 GMT) and closing at 7:00 p.m.
The three candidates – opposition Youcef Aouchiche of the Front of socialist forces, Abdelaâli Hassani Cherif of the Movement of society for peace and incumbent president Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who is running as an independent candidate – have been in different cities for three weeks to convince voters.
With young people making up more than half of the population, all candidates are targeting their votes on promises to improve economic development of living conditions in particular, as well as fighting corruption by powerful elites.
Political analysts said voter turnout will be the main parameter to look at, as many expect Tebboune to win a second five-year term. Political commentator Mohamed Hennad said the president had a good chance of defeating both his rivals due to low support and the conditions in which the election campaign took place.
The streets of the Algerian capital were mostly quiet on Saturday morning and most voters arrived at polling stations by midday. Preliminary results may come in as early as Saturday evening, with the electoral body ANIE expected to announce official results by Sunday at the latest.
The low voter turnout in 2019 was the result of Hirak’s pro-democracy protests , which ousted former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The protests were then crushed with stricter police measures and the arrest of hundreds of people.
