Overseas Algerian voting in full swing
07/04/2009
Voting in Algeria's presidential election began Saturday for citizens living abroad. Official polling stations have been provided around the world, with the largest number in France.
By Lyes Aflou for Magharebia in Paris – 07/04/09
 [Getty Images] Voters sign in at a polling station in Lyon, France on April 4, 2009. |
While the vote for Algeria's next president takes place on Thursday, April 9th, expatriates have been voting since Saturday. Roughly, 950,000 nationals of voting age in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and North America are participating in the election.
The vast majority of overseas voters reside in France. The 776,218 Algerians registered to vote will cast their ballots in one of 134 polling stations available across the country.
The working-class department of Seine-Saint-Denis, north of Paris, is home to the highest concentration of Algerian voters. By commune, Bobigny has the highest number of electors, with 85,000, followed by Vitry Sur Seine (79,118), Paris (73,407), Pontoise (70,902), Marseille (69,382), Lille (63,072), Lyon (60,461), and Nanterre (41,520). The ten remaining consular areas account for fewer than 40,000 electors each.
Overseas voters are older on average, with 31% over 60 years of age. By contrast, a mere 1% is aged 18-20 years.
The consular office of Saint-Denis in Bobigny has seen a constant flow of voters since opening on Saturday. This will continue until the polls close on April 9th, according to Consul Benbouali Benkheira.
He told Magharebia that his department sent out personal mailings to each Algerian registered with the consulate to invite them to register to vote.
Extraordinary security measures have also been taken to guarantee public safety. Police guards control entry to the consular offices, and the surrounding streets have been closed to vehicle traffic.
The polling station offers ten booths to the public between the hours of 8 am and 7 pm.
Rachid, a trader who lives in Bobigny, said he is delighted to see his fellow Algerians voting in large numbers. "For me, voting is a duty, because it's a way of exercising your rights and putting your citizenship into action," he said. "You feel you're contributing to something big."
His friend Kamel, meanwhile, is sad that the candidates made no campaign appearances in France. "Our involvement is more emotional than political, because to be honest we really don't know what they stand for. We want to help with stabilising our country," he added.
To Djamila, a supervisor in her fifties, turning out to vote when you are far from home is a way of demonstrating your dedication to your country.
"I've been living in France for 35 years, but I've never missed an election because I love my country," she said.
There are few, if any, discordant voices among the voters. If they have decided to take part in the ballot, it is because they believe in the purpose of the vote. Advocates of a boycott have been active in France, but due to a lack of co-ordination, the call has gone mostly unheeded.
According to National Rally for Democracy representative Nehlil Meddour, who represents President Bouteflika in Paris, officials from the opposing Rally for Culture and Democracy, which supports the boycott, have been assessing voter participation at the polling stations.
"We greeted them democratically," Meddour said, adding that the vote has progressed in a "completely satisfactory" manner. His only regret is that the other candidates did not appoint their own observers.
Consul Benkheira said his administration held a dozen meetings with the public to inform them of the importance of voting. The calls struck a chord, he said, because turnout has been "very good".
"This is a presidential election; you're voting to appoint the country's top magistrate," he continued. "Hence the significance for electors... it's not like ballots where the political parties are involved."
The diplomat said the key to the electoral process is large-scale participation. "As I see it, the most important thing is to vote, because by doing that you're demonstrating your interest in Algeria."