ALGIERS, April 10 (RIA Novosti) - Algerian President
Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been elected for a third consecutive
term in office, garnering 90% of the vote according to official
results released on Friday.
Opposition factions, including left-wing and Islamist
parties, had called for a boycott of Thursday's vote, citing
voter intimidation, and accused the authorities of ballot
rigging.
The 72-year-old leader, who has suffered severe health
problems in recent years, changed the constitution last
November to allow himself to run for a third consecutive
presidential term, sparking outrage among the opposition.
The president's nearest competitor in the election was
Louisa Hanoune, 55, who received only 4.2% of the vote,
according to Interior Minister Yazid Zerhouni. The ministry put
voter turnout at 74%.
Election observers from the Arab League deemed the vote
free and fair. However, no Western observers assessed the
election.
Bouteflika, who has ruled the North African country since
1999, has been widely credited with bringing relative stability
to a country that had been marred by insurgent violence for
decades.
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