The National Liberation Front (FLN) secured the most seats in Algeria’s parliamentary elections, despite a historic low turnout of just 21% among the 25-million electorate, according to the election board.
The FLN claimed 90 out of 407 seats in the July 2 poll, which faced public apathy and disputes over the disqualification of approximately a third of potential candidates.
Karim Khelfane, interim head of the National Independent Elections Authority (ANIE), stated the abstention rate was “not specific to Algeria” and commended the election’s transparency.
Algeria had previously recorded a record-low 23% turnout in 2021, marking the first such instance since the 2019 pro-democracy protests led to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s resignation.
The Hirak movement, which began in February 2019, initially spurred widespread demonstrations but subsided in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic amid heightened repression of activists, opponents, and media.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, elected in December 2019, secured a second term in 2024.