Algeria’s ruling party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), won the legislative elections held on Saturday amid heavy abstention and political crisis, the National Independent Election Authority (ANIE) announced on Tuesday.

It leads with 105 seats out of 407, followed by independent candidates with 78 seats. The main Islamist formation in the country, the Movement of the Society for Peace (MSP), which had claimed victory, comes third with 64 seats, according to the same source.

It should be noted that the participation rate reached a historically low level, at 23.03%. Out of more than 24 million voters, ANIE reported 5.6 million voters, including more than one million spoiled ballots.

Announcing the results of the ballot, the chairman of the electoral commission Mohamed Chorfi declared that “the momentum for peaceful change (launched with the demonstrations) has been strengthened”.