Horns began blaring and firecrackers went off in the streets of Algiers on Thursday as supporters of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika began celebrating his presumed re-election before any official results were announced.
Two and a half hours after polls closed at 8pm [9pm GMT], long lines of white buses bearing cheering Bouteflika supporters began filling the streets of the city centre.
Three challengers to Bouteflika, including his arch-rival Ali Benflis, had an hour earlier issued a statement saying that they projected that a second-round run-off vote would be necessary.
The Bouteflika campaign shot back, saying that the three — Benflis, Siad Sadi and Abdallah Djaballah — wanted to ”disobey the popular will” and courted ”grave dangers for the entire nation”. – Sapa-AFP