Algerians head to polls to elect parliamentary reps

By Abdel Razek Abdallah

ALGIERS (AA) - Algerians went to the polls Thursday morning to elect members of the country’s 462-seat parliament.

The voting process will last for 11 hours, but the authorities have the right to extend this further in some electoral districts to allow more than 23 million registered voters to cast ballots.

Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal cast his vote in capital Algiers on Thursday morning, while President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is expected to vote later in the day.

The elections will see some 11,300 candidates -- representing 63 political parties and a number of independent coalitions -- compete for seats in the national assembly.

In Algeria’s last legislative poll in 2012, Bouteflika’s National Liberation Front won the most seats (220), while the National Rally for Democracy came in second (68 seats) and the Green Alliance -- a coalition of three Islamic parties -- came in third (48 seats).

Preliminary poll results are expected to be announced Friday and final results will be announced next week.