Polls opened in Algeria on Thursday for a delayed presidential election as protesters want the vote put off until the entire ruling elite steps down and the military quits politics.

Iran Press/ Africa: The military as the strongest political player claims that the vote is the only way to restore order in Algeria, Africa’s largest country. The country, with a population of 40 million people, is a major natural gas supplier to Europe. 

All 61,000 polling stations around the North African country opened as planned.

No opinion polls have been published, but some observers expect an extremely low turnout nationwide.

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