Algiers [Algeria], September 9: Algeria's incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, 78, has been re-elected to the position with an emphatic vote, says the country's electoral authority.
"Of 5,630,000 voters recorded, 5,320,000 voted for the independent candidate Abdelmadjid Tebboune, accounting for 94.65 percent" of Saturday's vote, National Independent Authority for Elections (ANIE) head Mohamed Charfi told reporters in the capital Algiers on Sunday.
The election was held in the energy-rich country on Saturday pitting Tebboune against Islamist Hassani Sharif Abdel Aali and Youssef Aouchiche from the Socialist Forces Front.
Tebboune, who took office in late 2019, gained 94.7 percent of the votes while Abdel Aali and Aouchiche garnered a bit more than 3 percent and 2 percent respectively, the electoral commission head Mohammed Charfi said at a press conference. Around 48.03 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots, the panel said. At least 24 million were eligible to vote.
"Of 5,630,000 voters recorded, 5,320,000 voted for the independent candidate Abdelmadjid Tebboune, accounting for 94.65 percent" of Saturday's vote, Charfi told reporters in the capital Algiers on Sunday. Turnout was seen as a main challenge in Saturday's election.
Voting was extended by one hour to encourage more people to show up. Hassani Cherif's campaign said polling station officials had been pressured to inflate results and alleged failures to deliver vote-sorting records to candidates' representatives, as well as instances of proxy group voting. It did not say whether it believed the violations had affected the result.
However, electoral commission head Mohammed Charfi said when announcing the results that the body had worked to ensure transparency and fair competition among all candidates.
In the early hours of the day, ANIE had announced an "average turnout" rate of 48 percent, calling it "provisional", but it did not give a breakdown of the number of voters against those initially registered.
In the 2019 election that Tebboune won, nearly 40 percent of the eligible voters cast their ballots. Now, the provisional results will be sent to Algeria's Constitutional Court, which is responsible for examining them and hearing potential appeals before releasing the final official result. The process may take up to three weeks.
Tebboune, 78, was the clear favourite in the vote as he is supported by parties holding the majority of seats in Algerian parliament. He was elected president in December 2019, eight months after long-time ruler Abdelaziz Bouteflika was forced to resign under pressure following street protests and from the powerful army.
Source: Qatar Tribune
