President Tebboune expected to secure an easy victory: Election day in Algeria

12PUNTO FOREIGN NEWS

Algerians began voting today (Saturday, September 7) in a presidential election where incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is expected to win a second term, with the government hoping for a high turnout.

The 78-year-old candidate is expected to defeat moderate Islamist Abdelaali Hassani and socialist candidate Youcef Aouchiche.

The streets of the capital, Algiers, were quite calm on Saturday morning. The majority of voters are expected to head to the polls starting from the afternoon.

Speaking to AFP, 70-year-old voter Sid Ali Mahmoudi said, 'I came early to fulfill my duty and democratically elect my country's president.'

Voting will begin at 08:00 (07:00 GMT) and end at 19:00.

The first results are expected to be announced on Saturday night. The election authority, ANIE, is expected to announce the official results no later than Sunday.

Political commentator Mohamed Hennad wrote on Facebook before the voting began, referring to Tebboune, 'The winner is already known.'

Hennad wrote that Tebboune's rivals have little chance due to low support and the fact that 'the conditions under which the election campaign took place were nothing short of a comedy.'

The incumbent president's main challenge will be to increase turnout in the North African country, where he won 58 percent of the vote in 2019, despite a record abstention rate of over 60 percent according to polls.

Hasni Abidi, an analyst at the Geneva-based CERMAM Research Center, said, 'The president wants a high turnout. That is his main goal.'

The low turnout in 2019 followed pro-democracy protests that were suppressed by increased police intervention and the imprisonment of hundreds of people before the ousting of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Presidential candidate Hassani also stated on Saturday morning that he expects a high turnout.

Hassani told reporters, 'We hope that the Algerian people will cast their votes in large numbers. High turnout gives more credibility to these elections.'

YOUNG VOTERS WILL DETERMINE THE RESULTS

In the country of 45 million people, campaign rallies struggled to generate enthusiasm, partly due to the summer heat.

More than 850 thousand Algerian citizens living abroad have been voting since Monday.

In an election where more than half of the population consists of young people, all candidates are targeting the youth vote with promises to improve living standards and reduce dependence on hydrocarbons.