Record six in 10 abstain in Algeria's disputed presidential poll
An Algerian man casts his vote during the presidential election on December 12, 2019 at a polling station in Algiers. AFP PHOTO
A record six in 10 Algerians abstained from voting in the country's presidential election that was firmly rejected by the nine-month-old protest movement.
Just under 40 percent of registered voters cast a ballot on Thursday, said electoral authority chief Mohamed Charfi, speaking on national television.
Charfi said the turnout among Algerians living in the country was a little over 41 percent and close to nine percent among its nationals living abroad, the lowest rate for a multi-party election in the country's history.
The unpopular vote comes after a street protest movement in April ousted president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 82, following two decades in office.
Demonstrators have kept up weekly protests demanding an end to the military-backed political system.
On Thursday, tens of thousands rallied in central Algiers, where all morning police with water cannon and helicopters tried to disperse protesters and prevent a repeat of the previous day's anti-election demonstrations.
