Algerian election campaign kicks off

The campaign for seats in Algeria's parliament has kicked off and will last until six days before the polls open May 10. It is Algeria's first election since the demonstrations and uprisings of the Arab Spring swept the region and prompted the president to put forward a series of reforms. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia have both exhorted Algerians to go to the polls, amid official fears of a low turn out. The campaign start Sunday for the 389-member lower house will feature 42 political parties. The main contest is expected to be between two government-linked parties and an alliance of three Islamist parties. In recent polls, 44 percent of Algerians have said they will vote, up from just 35 percent in 2007. y