The announcement comes five years after mass pro-democracy protests led to the resignation of Tebboune’s predecessor, Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

In a predictable outcome, Tebboune outpaced his nearest challengers by a wide margin, with Islamist candidate Abdelali Hassani Cherif receiving 3% of the vote and socialist Youcef Aouchiche garnering 2.1%.

Election officials reported that less than six million out of Algeria’s 24 million registered voters participated in Saturday's election, continuing the low voter turnout trend seen during Tebboune’s first term, casting doubt on the extent of his popular support. (ILKHA)