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Less than a quarter of the people voted in Algeria
Photo:
Toukik Doudou / AP
In Algeria, a majority of voters voted for constitutional reform.
This was announced by the election commission of the largest African country in terms of area.
Accordingly, 66 percent voted for the referendum.
However, the elections were massively influenced by the coronavirus: Not even one in four eligible voters cast their vote.
Turnout has never been so low in Algeria.
The opposition protest group "Hirak" rejected the vote during a pandemic.
When the results were announced at a press conference, the chairman of the election commission, Mohamed Charfi, said that the coronavirus had negatively affected voter turnout.
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Not much was going on: Employees at an election office took the first votes
Photo: RYAD KRAMDI / AFP
Changes decided
The changes decided in the referendum include a limitation on the president's term of office, new powers for the parliament and the judiciary, and a clause that allows the military to operate outside the borders.
"Hirak" does not go far enough.
They are calling for the replacement of a ruling elite that has been in power since independence from France in 1963.
After years of political unrest, the government wants to open a new chapter in Algerian history with the new Basic Law.
In 2019, ongoing protests by "Hirak" forced President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign.
In December 2019, Abdelmajid Tebboune, who was aiming for the referendum, took over.
But even he could not stop the protests.
The 74-year-old is currently in a hospital in Germany after corona infections were found in his staff.
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hba / AFP / Reuters
