Egypt’s Sisi congratulates Algeria’s president on winning people’s trust

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has congratulated Algeria’s new president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, after he was announced the winner of Thursday’s election.

“We congratulate the brotherly Algerian people and Algeria for the success of the presidential elections. We also congratulate President-Elect Abdelmadjid Tebboune on the Algerian people’s trust in him,” Sisi said in a post on his official Facebook page on Friday.

The Algerian electoral commission on Friday named Tebboune, a former prime minister, as the winner, after securing 58 percent of the vote, enough to prevent a second round.

His rivals included another former premier, two former ministers and a former member of the ruling party’s central committee.

Former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s 20-year rule was brought to an end by mass protests last year.

The turnout on Thursday was 40 percent, a historic low; protesters had called for a boycott arguing the election would not remove the country’s ruling elite.

Thousands of demonstrators are expected to take to the streets to protest against the result, Reuters reported.

Source: Ahram Online