Algerian Turnout High Despite Threats : Elections: Islamic extremists had threatened to turn ballot boxes ‘into coffins.’ President is expected to win outright.

Millions of voters in the North African nation of Algeria defied death threats and boycott calls from Islamic extremists to cast ballots Thursday in the country’s first multi-party presidential elections.

Few doubted that President Liamine Zeroual, the retired general appointed by the army two years ago to lead Algeria, would win the election, if not on the first ballot then on a second one next month. And Algerian state-run television said early estimates showed Zeroual with nearly 59% of the vote, enough to win outright.

The big surprise Thursday was the high turnout, which state television put at nearly 75%, and the relative peacefulness of the process, in light of guerrilla vows to turn ballot boxes “into coffins” for voters.

That turnout, despite opposition calls for a boycott, did not reflect support for the current military-backed government so much as a desperate desire for peace after nearly four years of bloody internal war, Algerian analysts said.

An estimated 40,000 people have been killed in violence in Algeria since the 1992 parliamentary elections, which were annulled by the military after the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) appeared on the verge of winning.

Zeroual and the country’s military leaders had hoped that the presidential election, contested by four government-approved candidates, would convey some legitimacy on a government that has been criticized as undemocratic and ruthless in its dealings with opponents. But none of the most important Islamic groups, including the outlawed FIS, participated in the election.

FIS leaders argue that no legitimate elections can be held in the country until Algeria legalizes its Islamic opponents and opens negotiations with them. They had called the elections a charade designed to give a democratic veneer to a military regime.

Nevertheless, the government, frustrated by ongoing attacks by Islamic guerrillas and increasing international isolation, decided to stage an election on its own terms. Zeroual’s supporters contended that the election would free the president from his allegiance to the generals and allow him to open real dialogue with his outlawed Islamic opponents, something he is believed to support.

The voter turnout itself was a key to the Algerian government’s strategy to marginalize Islamic extremists. As a result, Algeria’s 16 million voters had a difficult choice. If they cast ballots, they risked the wrath of Islamic terrorists. But if they didn’t, they could face hassles over such things as obtaining government documents and keeping government jobs.

With tens of thousands of police and soldiers stationed at the 7,833 polling places and helicopters hovering over the capital, Algiers, more than 10 million Algerians decided to vote.

Journalists and international observers were escorted under heavy guard to some neighborhoods to watch the voting. In recent weeks, Algeria’s most radical organization, the Armed Islamic Group, had stepped up attacks against security forces, secular Algerians and foreigners. In missives signed by the group, the guerrillas also had threatened to attack voters.

The massive military deployment appeared to have prevented any serious incidents, though the authorities said attacks could occur in coming days.

Gunfire crackled through Algiers shortly after midnight, the Associated Press reported. It was unclear whether security forces were clashing with rebels or candidates’ supporters were celebrating.

An FIS official in Europe, Rabah Kebir, told a French television station that his organization’s figures, obtained from sources in the Algerian government, indicated that fewer than a third of the registered voters had cast ballots.

Still, many voters appeared to agree with an elderly man, who cast his vote early Thursday in the capital. “I came to vote so that the country would emerge from the crisis and I could participate in building a future for my children,” the man, who was not identified, told Reuters news agency.