An Algerian Islamist leader said yesterday that a Tunisian-style revolt was the only option after he claimed polls were fraudulent and threatened a mass pullout of smaller parties from Parliament.

Sooner or later, the only option will be the Tunisian scenario...

“These results closed the door on change by the ballot box, and the Tunisian option is all that’s left for those who believe in change,” Abdallah Djaballah, who heads the Front for Justice and Development, said.

His party mustered only seven seats out of the 462 up for grabs in the national assembly, according to provisional results for Thursday’s legislative election that could be slightly adjusted today.

The former single party, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s National Liberation Front, tightened its grip on power by securing 220 seats.

Mr Djaballah had hoped to benefit from the so-called Arab Spring effect and emulate the electoral gains of Islamist parties in neighbouring countries.

But Algeria bucked the regional trend, largely preserving the political status quo in polls that even saw Islamist parties lose ground, with all seven parties contesting the vote managing only a combined 59 seats.

“These elections are a farce. We do not recognise these results... They create a situation of insecurity and instability,” Mr Djaballah said.

“Sooner or later, the only option will be the Tunisian scenario,” he said, in reference to the first uprising of the Arab Spring that toppled long-time Tunisian President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011.

Mr Djaballah, 56, had warned of the risk of fraud before the polls and claimed he would expect his FJD to come out on top if the vote was even “80 per cent honest”.

He claimed to possess documents proving that the government’s latest pre-poll survey showed his FJD was poised to win 65 seats.

The Algerian Interior Minister on Friday announced a higher-than-expected turnout of 42 per cent, following a campaign marked by low voter interest and deep distrust of the political class.

Several of the smaller parties that picked up around 20 seats or fewer in Thursday’s polls have charged the ballot was rigged from start to finish, a view shared by many Algerians in the street and analysts.

The Workers Party, the Socialist Forces Front, the Algerian National Front and others all said they were robbed of seats and threatened to have the results heard by the constitutional court.