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Algeria votes to revamp constitution despite low voter turnout

Algerians took to the polls on Sunday to vote in a referendum that has introduced presidential term limits and other changes to the constitution.
A man casts his vote just before polls close at a polling station in Algeria's capital Algiers on November 1, 2020, during a referendum on a revised constitution. - Algerians on November 1 largely snubbed a poll on a revised constitution the regime hoped would neutralise a protest movement which at its peak last year swept long-time president Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power. With the "yes" camp almost certain to win, the only real question mark was over participation in a vote also seen as a bid to bolster

A major referendum on Algeria’s constitution passed Sunday, the national election commission said, making law presidential term limits and other political measures aimed at satisfying a massive street protest movement

The National Independent Elections Authority said on Monday morning that the new constitution passed with 66.8% of the vote. But with just 23.7% of eligible voters showing up to the polls on Sunday, analysts say the historically low voter turnout could undermine the legitimacy of the revised constitution. 

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