in algeria's presidential election which was held on Saturday preliminary figures have revealed that less than half of the country's eligible voters cast their ballots this time despite hopes for a higher turnout the election has been marked by widespread apathy 78-year-old incumbent president Abdul Majid tabun is heavily favored to secure a second term against his main challenges moderate islamist abdulali assani and socialist candidate Yousef Ashish Ton's primary challenge was to boost voter participation after the historically low turnout of over 60% in 2019 election which saw him elected in the wake of mass protests demanding the resignation of former president Abdul aiz Bika