volution, 1 November (1954)

Constitution: 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised 3
November 1988, 23 February 1989, and 28 November 1996; note-referendum
approving the revisions of 28 November 1996 was signed into law 7
December 1996

Legal system: socialist, 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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Liamine ZEROUAL (appointed president 31
January 1994, elected president 16 November 1995)
head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed OUYAHIA (since 31 December
1995)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 16 November 1995 (next to be held NA 2000); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: Liamine ZEROUAL elected president; percent of
vote-Liamine ZEROUAL 61.3%

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the National
People's Assembly or Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani (380 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the
Council of Nations (144 seats; one-third of the members appointed by
the president, two-thirds elected by indirect vote; members serve
six-year terms; created as a result of the constitutional revision of
November 1996)
elections: National People's Assembly-last held 5 June 1997 (next to
be held NA 2001); elections for two-thirds of the Council of
Nations-last held 25 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2003)
election results: National People's Assembly-percent of vote by
party-NA%; seats by party-RND 156, MSP 69, FLN 62, Nahda Movement 34,
FFS 20, RCD 19, PT 4, Republican Progressive Party 3, Union for
Democracy and Freedoms 1, Liberal Social Party 1, independents 11;
Council of Nations-percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party-RND
80, FLN 10, FFS 4, MSP 2 (remaining 48 seats appointed by the
president, party breakdown NA)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Political parties and leaders: Islamic Salvation Front (FIS, outlawed
April 1992), Ali BENHADJ, Dr. Abassi MADANI, Rabeh KEBIR (self-exile
in Germany); National Liberation Front (FLN), Boualem BENHAMOUDA,
secretary general; Socialist Forces Front (FFS), Hocine Ait AHMED,
secretary general (