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Algiers (dpa) - Algerian police arrested 400 people in north-west Algeria during protests against this week''s presidential election, an Algerian rights group said on Saturday. The Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADDH) said on Facebook that the mass arrests took place on Friday during a peaceful march in the province of Oran. Former prime minister Abdelmadjid Tebboune was elected Algeria''s president with 58.15 per cent of the vote in Thursday''s election. Tebboune succeeded long-time ruler Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was forced to resign in April amid mass protests and pressure from the powerful military. Bouteflika, now aged 82, ruled energy-rich Algeria for two decades, an era that was dominated by cronyism and mismanagement. As the results of the election were announced on Friday, thousands of Algerians were continuing their protests in the capital Algiers and other provinces to denounce the vote. The protesters are calling for an overhaul of the political system and the departure of key Bouteflika-era officials.
