The FLN, which has dominated the North African nation's politics since its 1962 independence from France, lost a quarter of the seats it won in 2012, according to preliminary results from Thursday's vote announced by Interior Minister Nourredine Bedoui. But the FLN preserved its majority thanks to its ally, the Rally for National Democracy (RND), which won 97 seats, up from 70 in the last election.
Two opposition Islamist lists won a total of 67 seats, seven more than five years ago when they recorded their worst ever results since Algeria first held multi-party elections in 1990. Abdelrrazak Makri, who heads the Movement for the Society of Peace (MSP) which has links to the Muslim Brotherhood, complained to AFP of "election fraud". "I am disappointed with this election," said Makri, whose MSP ran a joint list with the Front for Change.
"For political observers, there are no surprises," analyst Rachid Tlemcani told AFP. "The ruling parties take the top two places and the Islamists are on the bottom step of the podium." The official results will be announced by the constitutional council after any appeals. The ministry said turnout was 38 percent, down from just over 43 percent in the 2012 election.
Polling was marked by voter disillusionment over what many see as broken government promises on the economy and a political system tainted by graft. Officials spent weeks before the vote trying to drum up enthusiasm among electors, launching a campaign dubbed "Samaa sawtek" ("Let your voice be heard").
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2017