Algeria registers 48.03 percent turnout in presidential elections, nine points more than in 2019

September 8 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The turnout for the presidential elections held this Saturday in Algeria, at the close of the polls, was 48.03 percent, the Independent National Electoral Authority (ANIE) announced in the early hours of this Sunday.

The head of the electoral body, Mohamed Charfi, confirmed this figure, which represents an increase of nine points compared to the participation rate in the December 2019 elections, when only 39 percent of voters went to the polls.

In a report reported by the state news agency APS, Charfi announced that the vote abroad had also seen an increase in participation. At 19.57 percent, it was ten points higher than five years ago.

In any case, the president has assured that the recount abroad “is still ongoing” and that, therefore, “the data could change.”

Charfi said that “the announcement of the provisional results will not take more than 48 hours, given that the law establishes a 72-hour period.”

Algeria has concluded a presidential election that lasted an hour longer than expected, after the electoral body announced a seven-point drop in participation by 5:00 p.m. (local time), although the candidates have welcomed its “good progress.”

At that time, the participation rate was 26.45 percent nationwide and 18.31 percent among the national community residing abroad.

Algeria’s current president, Abdelmayid Tebune, is seen as the favourite in the absence of any major alternatives and in the face of renewed calls for a boycott from the opposition. He took office after the elections held in 2019, which put an end to a brief transition period after the long-time president Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned in April of that year amid massive protests against his plans to run for a fifth term despite being ineligible for office due to health problems.