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GV: polling place with flags outside and voters going in.
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GV: voters entering polling place.
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SV PAN INTERIOR: voters queuing to vote.
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GV: Sole Presidential candidate Mr Chadli Benjedid enters and receives forms (3 shots)
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CU: poster of Mr Benjedid
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SV: Mr Benjedid casts vote.
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SV: They shake hands with polling place officials and leave.
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Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: A former army colonel Mr Chadli Benjedid appeared sure of overwhelming support from the electorate in the Algerian presidential elections. He was the only candidate in the one party system.

SYNOPSIS: At polling places throughout Algeria there was a big turnout of voters in the elections. They were voting for the successor to the late Houari Boumedienne as Algerian President. After the polling the Interior Minister Mohamed Benahmed Abdelghani said the voting had gone smoothly and that the turnout compared well with the 1976 election in which President Boumedienne won near unanimous approval.

Among those voting at this polling place was the sole Presidential candidate Mr Chadli Benjedid, a former army colonel described s a relatively little known veteran of the Algerian independence war against France. Late last month (31 January) he was elected the General Secretary of the country's only political party, the National Liberation Front. That automatically made him the sole candidate to succeed as president.

Mr Benjedid has promised to make sure the revolution started by the late President would continue. He promised the voters more housing, schools, and free health care. The new president will take office on Friday (9 February) to comply with a constitutional requirement that succession take place within 45 days.

Although there is one party, the Algerian leaders say every citizen needs to approve the country's institutions through the poll.