Algerians vote for new parliament in ballot marked by apathy

Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika casts his ballot during the parliamentary election in Algiers, Algeria May 4, 2017. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian voters looked set to hand the ruling FLN and its allies another five-year mandate in a parliamentary election on Thursday overshadowed by low oil prices and concerns over the health of the country's elderly president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Turnout is traditionally low in elections for the 462-seat National Assembly, which many Algerians see as offering little change in a political system dominated since independence in 1962 by the FLN, and social media has captured a mood of apathy among younger voters.