(3 Minutes Read)
When the polls closed on Saturday, the election authority had said there was a 48% voter turnout. However, it later revised this down to just 5.6 million of the country’s roughly 24 million voters, equivalent to less than one in four
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune joined his two challengers in criticizing the results. Earlier he was declared the winner of Algeria’s presidential election with 94.7% of the vote, far outpacing his two opponents, Islamist Abdelali Hassani Cherif, who received only 3.2%, and socialist Youcef Aouchiche, who got just 2.2%.
Later, the three campaigns jointly issued a statement accusing the country’s election chairman of announcing contradictory figures. When the polls closed on Saturday, the election authority had said there was a 48% voter turnout. However, it later revised this down to just 5.6 million of the country’s roughly 24 million voters, equivalent to less than one in four.
Before the three candidates joined in questioning the discrepancy, both of Tebboune’s challengers had raised concerns about it. There have also been queries about local tallies. The claims of irregularities mar what had earlier appeared to be a landslide victory for the 78-year-old head of state.
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It remains unclear what will happen next, whether this will prompt legal challenges or delay the final certification of the result. The claims of irregularities cap off an election period that outraged activists and civil society groups. Human rights advocates railed against the repressive atmosphere and the harassment and prosecutions of those involved in opposition parties, media organizations, and civil society groups.
