Oldest party wins most seats in voting for 'new Algeria'

Algeria’s oldest party, the National Liberation Front, or FLN, considered on the wane, was the surprise top scorer in weekend legislative elections, winning 105 of 407 parliamentary seats, the electoral authority announced Tuesday

ALGIERS, Algeria -- Algeria’s oldest party, previously thought to be on the wane, won the largest number of seats in weekend legislative elections, the country's electoral authority announced Tuesday. The National Liberation Front, or FLN, secured 105 of 407 parliamentary seats, according to the provisional results. Independent candidates, including young people new to politics and many others who broke away from the FLN, placed second, winning a total 78 seats. The voting Saturday was meant to open the way to a “new Algeria” heralded by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to end an era of corruption and give the North African nation a new, younger face after a two-decade reign of Abdelaziz Bouteflika as chief of state. Bouteflika was forced to resign in 2019 under pressure from the Hirak pro-democracy protest movement. However, turnout was dismal with Hirak protesters boycotting the elections, as did traditional opposition parties. The electoral chief, Mohamed Charfi, did not provide a turnout figure in his Tuesday rundown of results, but media outlets calculating the number of voters among the 24 million eligible put the figure at 23% — a historic low.