In the north eastern Kabylie region a general strike was organised and running battles took place in the regional capital Tizi Ouzou to try to prevent the election from taking place in the region. Throughout much of the area polling stations were deserted and many did not open at all. The results saw the National Liberation Front win a clear majority of seats. The party won over triple the seats it won at the last election, going from 64 to 199 seats. The RND dropped from 156 seats to 47 in a disastrous result for the party. The moderate Islamist parties suffered a small overall decline in support, with the MSP losing half its seats but the Movement for National Reform made gains and won 43 seats. Turnout in the election was the lowest yet since independence in 1962. Only 47% of the registered voters turned out to vote, compared to 63% in the 1997 election. 25 women were elected, 18 from the FLN, and after the election the number of women ministers was increased from one to five.