Algeria is all set for Saturday’s parliamentary election, which has been touted by its president as a step toward political reform – one that he and his backers hope will finally end years of unrest in the North African country.
Amid raging protests, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune dissolved the People’s National Assembly, the lower house of Algeria’s parliament, in February and set June 12 as the date for elections.
Under a new electoral law, the number of seats in parliament has been slashed from 462 to 407.
This will be the seventh parliamentary election in the country since the advent of multiparty democracy in Algeria in 1989.
The country has battled increasing political upheaval and uncertainty over the past few years, with mass nationwide protests forcing former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign after 20 years in power.
The parliamentary polls will be followed by local elections for mayors and members of town councils.
Here’s a look at some key numbers ahead of Saturday’s vote:
– Voters
More than 24 million – 24,425,174 – Algerians are eligible to cast their ballots, including 902,865 overseas voters.
– Candidates
A total of 22,554 are in the running for parliamentary seats.
More than half of them – 13,009 – are under the age of 40 and fall in the youth candidate category.
Of the total, 12,086 individuals are competing as independent candidates and 10,468 are on a political party’s ticket.
– Political parties
Only 28 of Algeria’s 54 parties will be competing in the elections, as the rest failed to secure the required numbers.
There are more independent electoral lists – 1,208 – than lists for political parties – 1,080.
– Polling centers
A total of 61,543 polling centers have been set up throughout Algeria, along with 357 voting points overseas and 139 mobile polling stations for the country’s Bedouin communities.
Around 589,000 personnel will supervise the polling process in Algeria, according to electoral authorities.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara
Source: Anadolu Agency