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| Algerians vote on Bouteflika's re-election bid | Algerians vote on Bouteflika's re-election bid |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Polls have opened in Algeria where incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is seeking a fourth term in office. | Polls have opened in Algeria where incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is seeking a fourth term in office. |
| The 77-year-old leader has rarely appeared in public since suffering a stroke last year and has not campaigned personally ahead of the election. | The 77-year-old leader has rarely appeared in public since suffering a stroke last year and has not campaigned personally ahead of the election. |
| Mr Bouteflika, who is favourite to win, is facing five other candidates. | Mr Bouteflika, who is favourite to win, is facing five other candidates. |
| Opposition parties have held protest marches and called for a boycott, describing the election as a sham. | Opposition parties have held protest marches and called for a boycott, describing the election as a sham. |
| They say Mr Bouteflika is unfit to run because of his health problems. | They say Mr Bouteflika is unfit to run because of his health problems. |
| Three other presidential candidates pulled out of the race soon after Mr Bouteflika's candidacy was announced, saying the result was now a foregone conclusion. | Three other presidential candidates pulled out of the race soon after Mr Bouteflika's candidacy was announced, saying the result was now a foregone conclusion. |
| His re-election bid has spawned a protest movement called Barakat, meaning "Enough", which have been holding demonstrations around the country. | |
| Police violently broke up a protest organised by the group in the capital, Algiers, on Tuesday and arrested some of its members, the AFP news agency reports. | |
| More than 260,000 police have been deployed to protect 50,000 polling booths, it reports. | |
| Mr Bouteflika's main challenger, Ali Benflis, said he would not tolerate any attempt to rig the election in favour of the president. | |
| "In case there is fraud I will not shut up. This does not mean we will push for chaos, because we have opted for stability," he said. | |
| Mr Bouteflika took office in 1999 when Algeria was still caught up in a civil war between the military and Islamist militants and has been credited by supporters for curbing the conflict and restoring some economic stability. | Mr Bouteflika took office in 1999 when Algeria was still caught up in a civil war between the military and Islamist militants and has been credited by supporters for curbing the conflict and restoring some economic stability. |
| He scrapped constitutional rules in 2008 limiting him to two terms in office. | He scrapped constitutional rules in 2008 limiting him to two terms in office. |
| Mr Bouteflika won elections the following year with 90% of the vote. |