afrol News, 18 May - Algeria’s ruling coalition has swept yesterday’s legislative election, polling 249 of the 389 seats in parliament, the Interior Minister, Yazid Zerhouni, confirms Friday.

The ruling party coalitions are the National Liberation Front (NLF), the Rally for National Democracy (RND) and the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP) respectively poll 136, 61 and 52 seats.

The rest of the seats were won by the opposition, including the party of Louiza Hanoune, who has made history for being the first Algerian women to create and lead an opposition party. Her party polls 26 seats.

35.51 percent of the voter population turn out to vote, compared to 46.1 percent in 2002.

Interior Minister Zerhouni attributes the low turn out to the fact that voters feel that political parties have not been serving their needs. He says it clearly shows that Algerians are asking politicians to change their tactics.

Yesterday’s election is the third legislative poll to take place since the annulment and insurgency of an Islamist party in 1992. Algeria conducted its first multi-party election in 1990.

Algerian government is still struggling to win a war over Islamist terrorist who claimed to have detonated bombs in the capital Algiers last month. Al-qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack that killed 33 people as well as shattered public buildings.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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