Algeria

A

Executive and Legislature

The constitution of 1989 provides for a president elected to a five-year term by universal adult suffrage. The bicameral legislature consists of the directly elected lower house, the National People's Assembly, whose 380 members sit for 5 years, and the upper house, the National Council, has 144 members: 96 elected by communal councils and 48 members appointed by the president. The socialist National Liberation Front (FLN) has dominated Algerian politics since independence. Elections were annulled and the Assembly was suspended in January 1992 to prevent the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), a Muslim fundamentalist party, from gaining a legislative majority; Algeria was subsequently governed by the High Council of State, headed by a president. Constitutional revisions in 1996, following the first popular election of a president in 1995, limited the president to one five-year term and banned Islamist party platforms. Local and legislative elections scheduled for 1997 resulted in the pro-government National Democratic Rally (RND) winning the majority of seats in both polls. In the 2002 elections for the National People’s Assembly the National Liberation Front (FLN) won an outright majority. Other prominent parties include the Movement for National Reform (Islah); the National Rally for Democracy (RND); the Islamist Movement of the Society for Peace (MSP); and the socialist Workers’ Party (PT).

B

Judiciary

The highest court of Algeria is the Supreme Court, which functions both as the high court of appeal and the council of state. Three Algerian courts of appeal and special criminal courts (for economic crimes against the state) are located in Algiers, Oran, and Constantine. Numerous justices of the peace and commercial courts complete the judicial system.

C

Local Government

Algeria is divided into 48 departments (wilaya). These are subdivided into nearly 700 local communes. Each department is headed by a governor appointed by the federal government. Municipal councils enact local laws and elect all administrative officers.

D

Health and Welfare

The government sponsors social welfare programmes providing allowances for the aged, needy, and disabled; benefits for non-agrarian workers; agrarian reform; public works; and accelerated public-housing programmes.

Since 1974 medical care has been provided free to all Algerian citizens. In the early 1990s Algeria had more than 280 public hospitals and more than 24,700 doctors. In 2004 there were 1,182 people per doctor. The infant mortality rate in 2008 was 28 deaths per 1,000 live births; around 7 per cent of the country’s national budget was spent on health care. Average life expectancy at birth in 2008 was 72.1 years for men and 75.5 years for women. Public health officials are engaged in an effort to eliminate epidemic diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. Other health problems are widespread malnutrition and eye ailments such as trachoma. Smallpox and cholera have been brought under control.

E

Defence

The president is commander-in-chief of the military forces. The nucleus of the 120,000-strong army in 2004 was provided by the liberation forces after Algerian independence was secured. A 10,000-strong air force is equipped with Soviet- and French-built jet planes and helicopters. Naval forces numbered 7,500. In 2003, Algeria spent US$2,206 million (3.4 per cent of its GDP) on defence.