GOVERNMENT
Under the 1976 Constitution (as modified 1979, and amended in 1988, 1989, and 1996) Algeria is a multi-party state. The Ministry of the Interior must approve all political parties. According to the Constitution, no political association may be formed "based on differences in religion, language, race gender or region." Algeria has universal suffrage at the age of 18.
The head of state is the president of the republic. The president, elected to a five-year term, and constitutionally limited to two terms, is the head of the Council of Ministers and of the High Security Council. He appoints the prime minister as well as one-third of the upper house (the Council of the Nation). The prime minister presides over the Council of Ministers and serves as head of the government.
The Algerian parliament is bicameral, consisting of a lower chamber, the National People's Assembly (APN), with 389 members and an upper chamber, the Council of the Nation, with 144 members. The APN is elected every five years. Legislative elections were held in May 2007. Two-thirds of the Council of the Nation is elected by regional and municipal authorities; the rest are appointed by the president. The Council of the Nation serves a six-year term with one-half of the seats up for election or reappointment every three years. Either the president or one of the parliamentary chambers may initiate legislation. Legislation must be brought before both chambers before it becomes law, but this cannot happen without the support of the presidency. If the APN vetoes legislation, it must technically be dissolved. Sessions of the APN are televised.
Algeria
is divided into 48 wilaya (state or province) headed by walis
(governors) who report to the Minister of Interior. Each wilaya
is further divided into communes. The wilayas and communes are
each governed by an elected assembly.
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Terrorist violence in Algeria resulted in more than 150,000 deaths during the
1990s. Although the security situation in the country has improved, addressing
the underlying issues that brought about the political turmoil of the 1990s
remains the government's major task. President Bouteflika implemented the
Charter on Peace and National Reconciliation on March 1, 2006, as one way to
bring closure. Thus far, it has successfully gained the surrender of a number of
moderate Islamists, but paradoxically, has emboldened the more hard-core
elements, in particular the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC),
which changed its name in January 2007 to Al-Qaida in the Lands of the Islamic
Maghreb (AQIM).
In keeping with its amended Constitution, the Algerian Government espouses
participatory democracy and free-market competition. The government has stated
that it will continue to open the political process and encourage the creation
of political institutions. Presidential elections took place in April 2004 and
returned President Bouteflika to office with 84.99% of the vote. The next
presidential elections are scheduled for April 9, 2009.
Algeria has more than 45 daily newspapers published in French and Arabic, with a
total circulation of more than 1.5 million copies. There are 20 domestically
printed weekly publications with total circulation of 622,000 and 11 monthly
publications with total circulation of 600,000. In 2001, the government amended
the Penal Code provisions relating to defamation and slander, a step widely
viewed as an effort to rein in the press. While the Algerian press is relatively
free to write as they choose, use of the defamation laws significantly increased
the level of press harassment following President Bouteflika's April 2004
re-election victory, and as a result, the press began to self-censor. In July
2006, President Bouteflika pardoned all journalists convicted of defaming or
insulting state institutions. The pardon effectively dismissed the charges
against 67 people. Critics point out that according to the criminal code,
insulting the president is punishable by prison sentence. Nevertheless, the
pardon was widely seen as a significant step toward democracy. The government
holds a monopoly over broadcast media; Algerian newspapers are widely seen to be
the freest in the region.
Population growth and associated problems--unemployment and underemployment,
inability of social services to keep pace with rapid urban migration, inadequate
industrial management and productivity, a decaying infrastructure--continue to
affect Algerian society. Increases in the production and prices of oil and gas
over the past decade have led to foreign exchange reserves reaching $145 billion
in 2008. The government began an economic reform program in 1994, focusing on
macroeconomic stability and structural reform that has met with some success in
certain sectors. In 2004, the government launched a $55 billion spending program
to improve national infrastructure and social services that was subsequently
increased to $120 billion.
Principal
Government Officials
President and Minister of National Defense--Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Prime Minister--Ahmed Ouyahia
Minister of State for the Interior and Local Communities--Nourredine Yazid Zerhouni
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs--Mourad Medelci
Minister of State--Bouguerra Soltani
Minister Delegate in Charge of National Defense--Abdelmalek Guenaizia
Government Type:
Republic.
Independence: July 5, 1962 (from France).
Constitution: November 19, 1976, effective November 22,
1976; revised November 3, 1988, February 23, 1989, and November
28, 1996. NOTE: Referendum approving the revisions of November
28, 1996 was signed into law December 7, 1996.
Branches: Legal system based on French and Islamic law;
judicial review of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council
composed of various public officials, including several Supreme
Court justices; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.
Administrative divisions: 48 provinces (wilayet; singular,
wilaya).
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal.
Flag: Two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and
white; a red, five-pointed star within a red crescent centered
over the two-color boundary; the crescent, star, and color green
are traditional symbols of Islam (the state religion).
National holiday: Revolution Day, November 1, 1954
