2nd LD: Algerian ruling parties FLN, RND maintain majority in new parliament

The Algerian ruling parties of the National Liberation Front (FLN) and the National Democratic Rally (RND) managed to grab the majority of seats following the parliamentary polls of Thursday, official figures showed on Friday.

Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui outlined in a press conference the official figures of the parliamentary election of May 4, saying the national turnout reached 38.25 percent.

FLN grabbed 164 seats out of the 462 seats of the lower house, while its ruling ally, namely the Democratic National Rally (RND), collected 97 seats, making them the major force at the parliament for the second time since 2012 polls, said Bedoui.

The Islamist alliance of the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP) accumulated 33 seats, said Bedoui, adding that the independent candidates collected 28 seats, followed by the Movement of Algeria's Hope (TAJ) with 19 seats.

The other Islamist alliance of the Movement of Renaissance, Development and Construction collected 15 seats, followed by the Mostaqbal Front with 14 seats, and then the Labour Party with 11 seats.

The two secular parties of the Socialist Forces Front (FFS) and the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) gathered 14 and 9 seats respectively.

Parliamentary vote in Algeria wrapped up on Thursday, as some 8 million people out of 23.2 million eligible voters cast their vote to elect the 462 members of the new parliament for a five-year term.

Authorities have deployed some 44,000 security officers to secure the polls. The campaign on April 9-30 took place in good conditions and no major incidents were reported.

Some 300 foreign observers from different international associations and organizations monitored the vote.

These elections are the sixth electoral contest from 1989, the year that the North African nation has adopted multi-party system. Endit