The first legislative elections since the start of the movement.. Algerians continue to vote and President Tebboune confirms that the turnout does not matter to him

Today, Saturday, Algerians continue to cast their votes in the first legislative elections since the start of the popular movement, while President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said that the turnout does not matter to him, considering this vote as another building block on the path to establishing democracy.

Polling stations opened in Algeria and the diaspora this morning in front of 24 million Algerians who are entitled to vote in the early legislative elections that are being held to choose 407 deputies in the People's National Assembly, or what is known as the First Chamber.

Inside, voting began at eight in the morning, and polling stations closed at seven in the evening, with the possibility of extending voting in some of them.

More than 22,000 candidates belonging to 2,288 lists are competing in these elections, of which 1,080 are party lists, and 1,208 are independent lists, while the number of women candidates is 5,744.

Tabun's statements

The Algerian president cast his vote at a polling station in the Bouchaoui area in the western suburbs of Algiers. Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad, members of the government, leaders of political parties, and Chief of Staff Major General Said Chanegriha cast their votes in different polling stations.

In statements to reporters after casting his vote, Tebboune said that he was optimistic about achieving a good participation rate based on what he witnessed of the voting process in a number of states, pointing to a turnout by young people and women.

He stressed that the percentage of participation does not matter to him, and he said that what matters to him is who will be selected by the ballot box to administer the legislative authority, noting that the formation of the next government will depend on whether the majority is against or loyal to the policies of the head of state.

He added that the parties that boycotted the elections have the right to do so, but they do not have the right to impose their position on others, stressing that these elections are a second building block for change and building a democratic Algeria.

He said that Algeria is on the right path as long as it faces an attack from parties that do not satisfy it that Algeria enters democracy from its wide doors, and gives its decision to its people, as he put it.

And last Thursday, Tebboune pledged that the fund would be the arbiter in the elections, while the Independent National Electoral Authority pledged about a week ago to protect the votes.

Last March, the Algerian president called for early legislative elections after dissolving Parliament at the beginning of the same month, to be the first legislative elections since the start of the popular movement that led to the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in the spring of 2019.

A citizen casts his vote at a polling station in Algiers (Anatolia)

Participation rate

Al-Jazeera correspondent Atef Qadadra said that voting is taking place as usual in the 58 states in Algeria.

He added that the turnout appeared to be low in the early hours, but he pointed out that the authorities say that the turnout is becoming clearer in the afternoon.

He added that the Ministry of Interior imposed strict security measures starting last night, pointing to an amendment to the Penal Code to address the so-called attempts to disrupt the electoral process, whether by preventing individuals from casting their votes, or sabotaging polling stations.

The presidential elections in 2019 and the constitutional referendum in 2020 witnessed an unprecedented rate of abstention of 60% and 76%, respectively, according to Agence France-Presse.

This election is the third vote supervised by the Independent Electoral Authority in Algeria, after the presidential elections of December 2019 and the referendum to amend the constitution in November 2020.

voting abroad

For the third and final day, the Algerian community abroad continues to vote in the parliamentary elections.

In France, where the largest Algerian community is based abroad, the voter turnout is still low, according to some testimonies.

Some organizers attribute this to the fact that the turnout for early voting on Thursday and Friday is usually low.

Some Algerians residing in France have called for an increase in the number of parliamentary seats representing the Algerian community, which currently stands at 4.

new electoral system

The Algerian parliamentary elections are held on the basis of a new electoral system, as the voter cannot vote for more than one list or vote for a particular list or candidates in another list.

The voter must choose one list, then put a sign next to the names of the candidates he chose in proportion to the number of parliamentary seats allocated to his mandate.

More than half a million people work in the conduct of voting, according to the Independent National Electoral Authority.

The number of parliament seats is distributed according to the size of the electoral district, the largest of which is the wilaya of Algiers, while 8 seats are allocated to electoral districts in the diaspora, including 4 for the community in France.