The local elections in Algeria kicked off on Thursday, as voters have chosen their representatives at 1,541 municipal assemblies and 48 prefect assemblies.

These are the 6th local elections in this North African nation since it adopted plural-party system in 1989.

These elections follow the legislative elections on May 4. The government said it hoped these polls would help deepen democracy as stipulated in the new Constitution of 2016.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Wednesday urged the voters to go massively to polls, in a bid to hit respectable turnout.

The local elections grab more interest of citizens, compared to parliamentary elections, given that municipal and prefect assemblies are more close to everyday life of people, and are familiar with daily problems and aspirations of the populations.

Some 23 million Algerians are eligible to cast vote and chose among 165,000 candidates to be their representatives at 1541 municipal assemblies. More than 16,000 candidates are also contesting to grab seats at the 48 prefect assemblies nationwide.

A total of 180,000 police officers are also mobilized to secure the polls, authorities said.

source: xinhua