Polls open; Bouteflika expected to vote at 10am GMT

Polls have been open in Algeria for the past two hours and President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is expected cast his vote shortly at the Shiekh Bachir el-Ibrahimi school in El Biar, according to Massinissa Benlakehal, a journalist reporting for MEE from downtown Algiers.

Benlakehal reports: "There are 23 million registered voters who are expected to vote in 50,000 polling offices around the country today . . . This morning, downtown of Algiers, the city looked calm, almost few cars circulating. We noticed that the authorities have stepped up security by increasing police officers presence, some with heavy arms, dispersed in many places such as near the polling stations, which are generally primary schools."