Voting started Thursday in Algeria’s presidential election, amid expectations that incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will win re-election.

Voting started Thursday in Algeria's presidential election, amid expectations that incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will win re-election.

Voting started at 7:00 GMT and will close at 18:00 GMT.

Six candidates, including Bouteflika, are contesting the Arab-African country's most coveted post.

More than 300 observers from the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the African Union and the United Nations are monitoring the vote.

Nearly 23 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the presidential election, including nearly one million abroad.

Voting started for expatriates on Saturday and continues through Thursday.