The Arab League is impartial vis-a-vis all parties vying in the Algerian parliamentary elections which kicked off earlier Thursday, the head of the AL mission monitoring the elections said.

In statements to MENA on Thursday, Ambassador Saed Ali - who also serves as the AL Assistant Secretary General for Palestine and the occupied Arab territories Affairs - hailed Algeria's preparations for the elections.

Algerian lawmakers are elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term in the 462-seat lower house.

Seats are allocated proportionally according to the number of votes obtained by party lists. Eight seats are reserved for Algerian expatriate communities in four overseas districts.

More than 23 million people are eligible to vote for 11,334 candidates from 50 different political parties, as well as a handful of independents.

Following a constitutional amendment introduced last year, parliament will for the first time be consulted before a new prime minister is named by the president.

Source: MENA