Two attempts to elect a successor to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika have already been stopped by angry protesters. Today, Algeria is once again trying to elect a leader, but already the night before the election, protesters had broken into a couple of polling stations and on Thursday morning several of them had been vandalized.
The strong protest movement, which has been out on the streets since February, sees the election as a move from the regime to try to stay in power. More than 24 million people are eligible to vote, but many are expected to stay at home in protest of the candidates, reports Al Jazeera.
All of the five candidates who have been allowed to stand in the election have either been outspoken supporters of Bouteflika or have sat in his government.
Requires "radical change"Voter Mohamed Kirat says that protesters have demanded from the outset "radical change in the political system", something they do not feel they have received.
- The five candidates are from the previous board, so what will they have as an agenda? he says to the channel.
Bouteflika was forced to leave the post in April after two decades in power. But several of his former allies have stepped into his place and the mighty army chief Ahmad Gaïd Salah is considered to be backstage.
The polling stations close around 18 on Thursday, but no results are expected until Friday. If none of the candidates get more than 50 percent of the vote today, the election goes on to a second round.