Algerians Ready to Vote as Militants Threaten Violence

Algerians on Wednesday prepared for presidential elections that Islamic fundamentalists fighting the military-backed government have vowed to disrupt by killing voters.

Some Algerians expressed hope that today’s election will be a first step toward ending the 4-year-old conflict that has killed as many as 50,000 people, but others feared that Islamic militants will launch attacks to disrupt the balloting.

In Algiers on Wednesday, a loud explosion was heard. It appeared to come from outside the capital, but there were no immediate details on its cause or exact location.

The militants have launched dozens of attacks in Algiers in the past four years. The deadliest single assault was in February, when at least 45 people were killed in a suicide attack on a police station.

Several bomb attacks have been reported in the past few days in eastern and western Algeria. At least six people were killed.

The government has urged an estimated 16 million voters to defy the militants by heading to 33,783 ballot stations and choosing one of four candidates as their president.

President Liamine Zeroual, appointed in January, 1994, by a military-dominated council, is the favorite in the race, Algeria’s first multi-candidate presidential election.