Algerians trickle to the polls for new president
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algerians are trickling into the polls to elect a new president of this oil-rich North African nation in an election expected to be won by the ailing incumbent.
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has ruled this nation for the past 15 years and, despite suffering a stroke, is running for a fourth term on a platform of stability.
As polling stations opened in central Algiers Thursday, it was mostly elderly retirees coming to cast their ballots and saying stability was a key factor in their decision.
Younger Algerians are disaffected by politics and don't vote in large numbers.
Official turnout figures of 75 percent in the 2009 re-election of Bouteflika are viewed with skepticism.
Opposition candidate Ali Benflis said he will not stay silent if there is electoral fraud.
