Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has been re-elected for another five-year term in a landslide win, the country's election authority said on Sunday.
The National Independent Election Authority said preliminary results indicate that Mr Tebboune won 94.65 per cent of the vote, with almost 5.4 million votes from the 5.6 million ballots cast.
Islamist candidate Abdelaali Hassani Cherif, 57, of the Movement of Society for Peace, received 3.17 per cent of the vote and secular candidate Youcef Aouchiche, 41, of the Socialist Forces Front, got 2.16 per cent.
While Mr Tebboune's win had been widely expected, there were fears that the poll would see another low turnout. The elections' authority chief Mohamed Charfi said exit polls at 8pm on Saturday indicated a 48.03 per cent preliminary participation rate.
That followed an announcement from the authority earlier in the night saying that turnout stood at 26.4 per cent as of 5pm on Saturday, with about 5.1 million votes cast out of 23.4 million registered voters.
Mr Charfi said the discrepancy between the two figures was the result of floods that delayed counting in two provinces. Voting had been scheduled to end at 7pm, but the authority extended it by one hour.
He told reporters on Sunday afternoon that the authority worked "to ensure fair competition between the three candidates" by keeping "an equal distance" from all of them.
"The aim was to preserve voters' freedom to choose whom they deem appropriate to manage the country's affairs and preserve the supreme interest of the nation," Mr Charfi said.
On Saturday morning he said early indications were that turnout was “quite decent” compared to previous elections. “These elections are a very important step towards building our democracy. Today we can be optimistic following what has reached us about the turnout rates,” he said after casting his ballot.
Saturday’s vote is the second since pro-democracy protests in 2019 toppled former long-time president Abdelaziz Bouteflika and led to Mr Tebboune’s election as president in December that year.
His ascension to power was considered controversial due to the hasty election timing and strong backing of the country’s military. In 2019, Hirak protesters called for the establishment of a civil democratic state and for the military to end its intervention in official institutions.
A low turnout rate was widely predicted in this election due to an atmosphere of political apathy and distrust in the government.
Imen, 28, from Jijel in north-eastern Algeria, said she was not interested in the election, a sentiment she said was shared by most Algerians.
“This is the least credible election that has been held in recent history and it’s the least credible show of political legitimacy,” she told The National. “It’s a waste of money to be honest because the results are already known and it has already been decided.”
Algerian journalist and writer Othman Lahiani told The National that he had no doubt that Mr Tebboune would win a second term.
“The President is very far from the other two candidates as he enjoys the support of various powerful institutions within authority and several other powerful historic parties in the country,” he said.
Supporters of Mr Tebboune were celebrating in the streets on Saturday night.
Several world leaders have congratulated Mr Tebboune on his re-election, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Tunisian President Kais Saied, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Arab Parliament's Speaker, Adel Al Asoomi.
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Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
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The BIO
Favourite piece of music: Verdi’s Requiem. It’s awe-inspiring.
Biggest inspiration: My father, as I grew up in a house where music was constantly played on a wind-up gramophone. I had amazing music teachers in primary and secondary school who inspired me to take my music further. They encouraged me to take up music as a profession and I follow in their footsteps, encouraging others to do the same.
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Explained
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
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Don’ts
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