Agence France Press (AFP) reported Ali Benflis, Bouteflika’s main rival, saying the Algerian presidential elections witnessed “massive fraud” and “serious irregularities”.
Algeria’s incumbent president Abdelaziz Bouteflika is widely expected “to win” a fourth term despite his very poor health.
The AFP also said that the elections were “marred by low turnout and allegations of “massive” fraud”.
“Figures showed 51.7 percent of Algerians had voted this time compared to an official, but disputed, figure of 74 percent in 2009, with only 37 percent of voters taking part in the capital.”
“The lowest turnout was recorded in the Kabylie, a restive, mostly Berber region east of Algiers, where around one in four people cast a vote,” AFP reported.
For the most part, the Algerian press are saying that the election’s outcome is certain and “Bouteflika will fail not to win”.
The question now is “with which margin he’ll win”.
The Moroccan Times.
