Algeria’s incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has been re-elected with almost 95 per cent of the vote, the country’s electoral authority ANIE said Sunday.
Tebboune won his re-election by an overwhelming margin, but election officials reported fewer than 6 million out of the 24 million eligible adults voted.
The independent election authority on Sunday announced that Tebboune had won 94% of the vote, far outpacing his challengers: Islamist Abdelali Hassani Cherif, who won 3.2% and socialist Youcef Aouchiche, who won 2.2%.
Election officials reported that less than 6 million of the country’s 24 million voters had turned out to vote on Saturday, perpetuating the low voter turnout rates that marred Tebboune’s first term and raising questions about his popular support. Such high abstention rates, which remain unofficial, would surpass the 2019 presidential election when 39.9% of the electorate participated.
The victory grants the 78-year-old another term leading the gas-rich North African nation five years after pro-democracy protests led to the ouster of his predecessor. If he manages to finish his second term in office, he will be 83.
French President Emmanuel Macron sent his “warmest congratulations” in a statement late Sunday.
Highlighting the “exceptional relationship” between the nations despite frequent tensions, he added: “Dialogue between our two countries is essential.”
