12 April 2009

Algiers, Sapa - Veteran President Abdelaziz Bouteflika won a third term on Friday after results showed he garnered 90 percent of votes in an Algerian vote marred by sporadic violence and boycotted by his main foes.

The 72-year-old, who changed the ex-French colony's constitution to allow himself another five years at the helm, won with 90.24 percent of votes cast in the oil-rich north African nation, Interior Minister Yazid Zerhouni announced.

Turnout was 74.54 percent, he added.

Louisa Hanoune, the only woman candidate and leader of the Trotskyite Workers' Party (PT), trailed a distant second with 4.22 percent.

None of the other four candidates received more than 2.5 percent of the vote.

However, even before the results had been announced, opposition candidates said the election was marred by voter intimidation and disputed the turnout of almost 13 million given by state radio.

The vote marks "a new step in closing the political field and a return to single party rule," said Karim Tabbou, first secretary of the opposition Socialist Forces Front party (FFS) which boycotted the elections.

Washington also said it was "concerned" about allegations of fraud and called on Algiers to address them.

Thursday's vote was held amid heavy security and Zerhouni announced that a policeman was killed and five other members of the security forces wounded in separate bids to disrupt the poll by radical armed Islamists.

The minister gave no details of the killing, but said three police and one soldier were wounded in bomb attacks, while another soldier was injured in a skirmish between an armed group and a military patrol.

The atmosphere appeared tense in the capital on voting day after the head of al-Qaeda's branch in North Africa called on Algerians to boycott the election in an audio message posted on an Islamist website on Monday.

Bouteflika, first elected in 1999, was to have stood down at the election, but he provoked outrage among opposition parties by proposing an amendment to the constitution which was rubber-stamped by parliament in November.

The secular Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) party, one of main opposition groups led by Said Sadi, denounced what it called a "constitutional coup" and refused to take part in the "pathetic" election.

Despite the criticism of the vote, President Nicolas Sarkozy of former colonial power France sent a prompt message to Bouteflika, offering him the "warmest and friendliest congratulations" and saying he was "committed to building a unique partnership between France and Algeria".

The French foreign ministry separately refused to comment on allegations that the turnout figures were inflated.

But in Washington, US State Department spokesperson Richard Aker said the Obama administration was "concerned about these issues".

"We want the government to address them but as of now, we see no reason not to assume that we will continue to work with the president for his next term of office," Aker added of Bouteflika.

For its part, the European Union's Czech presidency congratulated Bouteflika and described Algeria as an "important and reliable partner" in the Mediterranean region.

"Its role in the mutual fight against terrorism and illegal migration is significant and irreplaceable," it said.

Leaders of neighbouring Tunisia and Morocco also saluted Bouteflika on his victory.

Bouteflika also won the last election in 2004 by a landslide, with official results giving him 84.99 percent of votes.

As well as Hanoune, Djahid Younsi of the moderate Islamist El-Islah party, Moussa Touati of the Algerian National Front (FNA), Ali Fawzi Rebaine of the AHD-54 nationalist party, and independent Mohamed Said appeared on the ballot.

Sadi meanwhile said the vote had been blighted by fraud while Rebaine denounced voter "intimidation" and other irregularities.

Despite criticism, the head of an Arab League observer mission gave the ballot a clean bill of health.

Chadli Nefati said the organisation had been "beyond reproach" and voting had been calm. - AFP