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Warnings fly of Algerian vote rigging plan

ALGIERS, Algeria, April 7 (UPI) -- Three candidates in Algeria's federal election Thursday said they believe votes are already rigged in favor of the incumbent, the BBC reported Wednesday.

Six candidates are challenging President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in the Thursday election, and three of them allege he plans to declare that he won the election by between 53 to 55 percent even before counting has ended.

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However, none of them could offer any evidence of such a plot.

Bouteflika is considered the favorite in pre-election polls, but his main rival, former prime minister Ali Benflis, does have a chance if Bouteflika does not win outright in the first round. Benflis is one of the three alleging vote-rigging.

Like Bouteflika, Benflis has the support of sections of the Algerian army, which remains the dominant force in the country's political life.

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