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2012-05-11
Algeria hails election turnout
By Nazim Fethi for Magharebia in Algiers – 11/05/12
Amidst several minor terrorist attacks and fear of voter abstention, Algerian polls closed last night in what EU observers called a "generally satisfactory" legislative election.
With an overall turnout of 44.38% out of 21.6 million voters , the legislative elections kept everyone happy: both the government and the opposition.
Interior Minister Dahou Ould Kablia was clearly pleased with the voters number.
![[Hayam El Hadi] Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika casts his ballot in May 10th's legislative election.](/awi/images/2012/05/11/120511Feature1Photo1-650_429.jpg)
Yesterday's turnout "gave an indication of the level of maturity among the Algerian people", said Ould Kablia, whose department led a social media campaign encouraging citizens to vote.
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika also seemed pleased. He too had become personally involved with appeals to voters, delivering five speeches since February.
Describing Bouteflika's last speech on Wednesday (May 8th) as "his testament", National Liberation Front (FLN) spokesman Kassa Aissa gave the head of state credit for bringing young people out to vote in force.
Aissa said Bouteflika's message was pivotal. "Our generation, which liberated the country, has served out its time, and should now pass the baton on to the younger generation," the president said.
Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia warned of potential foreign involvement should the turnout for the legislative elections have proven low, while FLN Secretary-General Abdelaziz Belkhadem talked about how high voter abstention could have ended up destabilising the country.
Election monitors agreed that for the most part the elections seem to have gone well, aside from several minor terrorist attacks, one or two irregularities, and some organisational difficulties.
According to reports, at least one person was killed in a bomb explosion in Bouderbala, west of Bouira. On Wednesday night, terrorists opened fire on a polling station in Ath Mansour, without causing any casualties. And, In Souk El Thenine, Ain Defla province, three were injured by a roadside bomb on Thursday.
As far as procedural discrepancies, Ali Moussaoui, vice-chairman of the national election monitoring committee, said that there were around sixty complaints, twelve of which could lead to criminal proceedings.
EU observer mission head José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra indicated that the elections had taken place under "generally satisfactory conditions, apart from some very isolated minor incidents".
"Between 85% and 90% of the reports from EU observers are satisfactory," Sánchez-Neyra said during press briefing in Algiers just after the polls had closed. "No fraud or attempted fraud was reported," the chief observer said.
All incidents identified by European observers "are minor and limited to some electoral campaigning activities close to some polling stations", he explained.
Election results should be announced late on Friday, but there are already some clear indications: the National Liberation Front (FLN) seems to have maintained its majority in Parliament, contrary to the predictions of the Islamists, who had been saying for months that they would sweep the board.
However, Prime Minister Ouyahia's National Rally for Democracy (RND) seems to have been the big loser in the ballot, to the benefit of the Green Alliance led chiefly by the Movement of a Society of Peace (MSP), which is still part of the government, but had recently left the presidential alliance.
The rest of the parties will share out the remaining seats among themselves.
The Islamist parties, seen as the favourites, particularly those led by Abdallah Djaballah and Abdelmadjid Menasra, did not "turn the tide" as they had promised. Observers say this is probably because they have only recently come into being, having only received official approval last February.
On Thursday evening, the atmosphere at the various party headquarters varied as the results started to reach them.
At the FLN's central office, there were cheers as the party's victory became clearer.
"I was confident from the outset and I said the FLN was going to emerge as the winner," Belkhadem told us around midnight. Among the Green Alliance, there was cautious optimism.
Even though Ahmed Bellil, who runs the monitoring group, persisted in saying that they would "win without a doubt", concern could be seen on people's faces as the results came through.
The alliance seems to have reached its target in Algiers, where it has probably gained 15 seats out of the 37 available in the capital. This is an encouraging result, essentially due to the popularity of the candidate heading up its list, Amar Ghoul, the current minister of public works, according to Abderrahmane Saidi, who chairs the MSP's consultative committee.
At the RND headquarters, the atmosphere was far from sparkling, even though the party has not lost everything.
Seddik Chihab, who headed the list of candidates standing in Algiers, looked gloomy. The truth is that the party saw some very poor results in the capital. "We can't understand it," he told Magharebia.
By contrast, Front for Justice and Development (FJD) leader Djaballah shut himself away in his office for the whole of Thursday, refusing to say a word to anyone, although he gave the impression of great dissatisfaction with how the election had been run.
The same attitude was exhibited by National Front for Change (FCN) president Abdelmadjid Menasra, who accused "certain parties", without naming names, of having encouraged "the two ruling parties" – a reference to the FLN and RND.
Other parties that achieved good results in the legislative elections seem to have been the Labour Party, particularly in Algiers and Kabylie, and the Front of Socialist Forces in the same regions.
It seems that the other political parties will have to make do with just a few seats to make up the numbers in an election that included 44 political parties, 25,800 candidates, and 462 seats in the People's National Assembly.
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POST YOUR COMMENT 12
zaza bou Lahya 2012-6-4
The National Liberation Front Party playing the game open on the leaves with parties who Atdon political parties and their wisdom and their majority of the people Here is the day that revealed the National Liberation Front, the ability of the parties towards the people and policies, non-court in the country have forgotten that the Liberation Front has a history and provisions of the strategy in the center of the Algerian people and the experience of the countries they had forgotten to look Liberation Front have taken root in the land of the pure blood of the martyrs Algeria and in the hearts of generations of good and Nassau it was a school for Kiedan parties did not observe what the Algerian regime *** Long live the National Liberation Front Long live Algeria. *** ** * Long live Algeria and young elders who understood the strategy of the National Liberation Front in the final minutes and eternity for the soldiers who work secretly outside the party *** compliments lived free and independent Algeria glory and eternity for the righteous martyrs ..... ***** .... ....
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HOMME LIBRE 2012-5-20
This is bad soup from an old pot and we cannot swallow it. After having been well made in the theatrics of a good soup pot, as usual, by experts good at political hospitality, no Algerian can swallow this soup. With just a few words, I will start by discrediting the entirety of the elections of April 4th, 2009 and the preceding elections. The Algerian people, the majority of whom categorically and universally rejected the officially announced results of this massacre by the Interior Ministry, which confirmed that the FLN won with 220 seats and took first place, but the abstention rate was considerable, according to information given by the so-called party presidents, who are openly denouncing fraud throughout the country. This all proves the return to prehistory for these people, who do not deserve to live with forms of evil and suffering when they live in a very rich country. The wealth is monopolized by the predators of the single party, which wins ground and has returned to its usual way of doing things. And this is truly a discouraging action for our children, as well as for the future generation of this nation. And the constitution has been violated in all ways by the people who do not want to give up power for their interests and for the interests of their family and the supporters who belong to the political parties and powers in place. Yet, we find the leaders of these parties who pretend to be in opposition always sidling up next to the president, applauding every sentence that comes out of the mouth of their supreme chief, who is impossible to contradict because their monthly salary is at stake. Clearly, they are paid to always say “Yes!”
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الانتخابات الجزائرية في مهب الأحادية 2012-5-16
To the writer of comment no 02, who are you to say “we”??? Don’t you see that Algerians have been protesting for a period in different provinces and municipalities at the rule of FLN and RND. However, the odd thing is that this protestor and demonstrator return against them every day with the overwhelming majority. Viva the one party, or with its son RND, and to hell with democracy, pluralism, transparency, integrity and the future of young people can go to hell since (you are happy)! After 50 years, ask yourselves, what have you done for Algeria? Independence didn’t happen yesterday so that you can blame your mistakes again on the colonizer. Money is abundant. However, the economic extravagance of your ministers closed plants and sold them for the symbolic dinar. Today, they are talking about reopening public institutions to expand them then buy them with the symbolic dinar again. You have another 05 years, a new constitution and president. So do whatever you want since many of you are still intimidating people with foreign intervention, detention centers, black or red years? Thank you winners again in the parliamentary elections and you FLN and RND parties for what you did to protect Algeria standing with you and other democrats like you, whom you have shaken with one blow at the back of their minds void of democratic principles such as Amara Ben Younes, Bounedjma and others.
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بلوزداد 2012-5-16
This regime is like the stupid student who doesn’t learn well from lessons of history.
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muslim 2012-5-15
To Mehdi Assem- Change your school. Your masters are charlatans. Study for yourself. Think just a little bit. Saying too many stupid things is a disgrace at this time, when all the information – from the best to the worst – is one click away from your brain. It is up to each person to sort things out for himself. This is perhaps the most difficult thing. A self-respecting man does not knowingly sit in his ignorance like a pig wallowing in his filth. A Muslim should look for knowledge. His entire existence rest with this. That is the first Divine commandment, and you cannot ignore it!
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علي جبيل الحديد 2012-5-15
Salam alaikum. How can we explain the abstention of 12 million Algerians, about half the electorate, from voting? Aren’t they Algerians? Don’t they deserve that we consider reasons for their abstention and how to deal with them? Secondly, what is the use of voting, parliament and a presidential system which has the right to appoint the government from any party just because it is a prerogative of the president?! What is the use of parties? What is the use of their platforms? It is not possible to build pluralism without parties. It is not possible to build democracy without the rule of the majority and respect of the minority. However, our constitution doesn’t grant this, especially rule of the majority. Thank you!
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younsi djamel 2012-5-13
Your newspaper is anti-Algerian?? How is it that we can only vote “no” and there is no one voting “yes”? Your newspaper has apparently placed its bets on the Islamist horse (or, rather, donkey) and on anarchy in Algeria. But, it was the eternal FLN that won! The Algerian people have not changed and will not change! The proof is that Tindouf was 80% for the FLN!!! Long live the people of Tindouf! May God protect the people of Tindouf and the FLN!!! –From a Kabyle Algerian
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نورالدين الجزائري 2012-5-13
To Sheikh Bourouiya Noureedine. What is the rule about fraud in elections you have called for? To the opposition, how do you participate in elections which are rigged in advance? How did you accept to participate in elections which are rigged in advance even before the electoral campaign begins? What is the explanation of the silent majority? What is the explanation of the boycotting majority? What is the stance of Algerians from intimidation and terrorization of foreign intervention? There are so many questions which show that the Spring of Algeria has not shined for 50 years?
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اية 2012-5-12
We are happy with the elections. The Algerian people are free. Pride and highness to president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
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mehdi assem 2012-5-12
In Islam, fraud is a crime. These fraudsters are hypocrites and this crime is provoking the anger of Allah. Afterward, Allah has been punishing the cities of these fraudsters with earthquakes, floods, violent forest fires, tornadoes and accidents. So, it is up to President Bouteflika to enforce the Islamic sharia in order to avoid these catastrophes in Mouradia and the Algerian cities. This earthquake in Chlef is a warning from Allah for the Algerians, Bouteflika and the army.
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كمال 2012-5-12
The election turnout is not real in any way this is because many lists voted. There are boycotters depending on every electoral commenter. For example, in our municipality, the chief of Attajdid party voted on behalf of many absent women who don’t vote given that the region is conservative! The same thing can apply to all municipalities.
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Anonymous 2012-5-11
Long live Algeria!
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