It's Election Day in Algeria

ALGIERS, Algeria, May 10 (UPI) -- Voters in Algeria, overseen by 500 international observers, went to the polls Thursday to elect members of Parliament.

About 25,000 candidates from 44 political parties are vying for the 462 seats of the National People's Assembly, CNN reported Thursday, with observers from the European Union, the African Union and the Arab League monitoring the vote.

The Algerian Press Service reported that the voter turnout was approximately 15 percent.

The election is the result of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's lifting in February 2011 of a nearly two decade-long state of emergency in Algeria, removing restrictions on speech and assembly, CNN said.