Legislative Polls Underway In Algeria

Polls have opened in Algeria for parliamentary elections which the authorities have billed as more free and transparent than ever before. Some 21.6 million Algerians out of a population of 37 million are registered to vote. Algerian authorities have allowed in 500 foreign observers to monitor the May 10th electoral contest.

• But, after initially welcoming in the observers – from the European Union, African Union and other groups – the Algerian government has curtailed their access to national election lists after reported drifts.

• The foreign ministry has also warned them to act with “discernment, impartiality and objectivity and with discretion, far from polemics or escalation that could prejudice the credibility of their supervisory mission”.

• Under pressure to reform after last year’s “Arab Spring” revolts in neighbouring countries, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika approved the establishment of 23 new political parties and an increase in the number of seats in parliament to 462.
• There are 44 political parties and independents competing for the 462 seats at stake in the next National Popular Assembly.

• The government has repeatedly described the May 10 voting as vital to the country’s future. The main competitors vieying in these elections are two government-affiliated parties namely FLN and RND squaring off against a three-party bloc of Islamists known as the “Green Alliance.” No one party is expected to hold sway in this voting contest.