77years Old President win Election On Sick Bed
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has won a fourth term in office with 81.53 percent of the vote, Algerian officials say.
The
77-year-old incumbent’s main rival, Ali Benflis, received 12.18 percent
in an election which saw 51.78 percent of Algerians cast their ballots,
Interior Minister Tayeb Belaiz told a news conference on Friday.
The result comes after a three-week election campaign that saw a spirited effort by Benflis and his supporters.
Benflis
criticised the election as marked by “fraud on a massive scale” after
polls closed on Thursday. He has vowed to contest the results.
Official
figures for turnout were down from the 75 percent turnout for
Bouteflika’s last win in 2009. The figures have been described
by activists and opposition politicians as inflated.
The
youngest candidate, Abdelaziz Belaid, came third with 3.03 percent
of the vote, followed by the only female candidate Louisa Hanoune, who
ustered 1.37 percent.
The two other candidates, Ali Fawzi Rebaine and Moussa Touati both won less than one percent.
Bouteflika’s
decision to seek a new mandate after being in power for 15 years had
sparked both derision and criticism from those who questioned his
ability to rule aftersuffering from a stroke last year. His poor health
has forced him to vote from a wheelchair in the elections.
Bouteflika
still remains popular with many Algerians who credit him with helping
to end a devastating civil war and contain Arab Spring protests.
A
veteran of the war of independence against France, Bouteflika first
came to power in 1999, but was dogged in his third term by ill health
and corruption scandals.
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