Official name

People's Democratic Republic of Algeria

Legal system

Based on the constitution of 1976, revised in 1989 and 1997

Legislature

Bicameral: the lower house, the Assemblée populaire nationale, with 389 members, was first elected in June 1997; the upper house, the Conseil de la nation, which has 144 seats, was formed in December 1997, with two-thirds of its members elected through municipal polls and the remainder appointed by the president

National elections

May 17th 2007 (legislative); April 9th 2009 (presidential); November 27th 2007 (provincial and municipal councils); next presidential election due in April 2014 and legislative election in 2012

Head of state

President, currently Abdelaziz Bouteflika, elected for a third term on April 9th 2009; Mr Bouteflika is also defence minister

Executive

Council of Ministers presided over by the prime minister, who is appointed by the head of state. A new government was formed following the May 2007 election. In May 2010 there was a major cabinet reshuffle

Main political parties

Front de libération nationale (FLN), previously the sole legal party; Rassemblement national démocratique (RND); Front des forces socialistes (FFS); Rassemblement pour la culture et la démocratie (RCD); Mouvement de la réforme nationale (Islah, Islamist); Mouvement de la société pour la paix (MSP; Islamist); Parti des travailleurs (Labour Party)

The government

Prime minister: Ahmed Ouyahia

Deputy prime minister: Nourredine Yazid Zerhouni

Minister delegate at the Ministry of Defence: Abdelmalek Gueneiza

Key ministers

Agriculture: Rachid Benaissa

Defence: Abdelaziz Bouteflika

Energy & mining: Youcef Yousfi

Environment, territorial planning & tourism: Cherif Rahmani

Finance: Karim Djoudi

Foreign affairs (minister of state): Mourad Medelci

Health & population: Djamal Ould Abbes

Housing: Nourredine Moussa

Industry, small- & medium-sized enterprises & investment promotion: Mohammed Benmeradi

Interior & local government: Dahou Ould Kablia

Justice: Tayeb Belaiz

Labour & social security: Tayeb Louh

National education: Boubekeur Benbouzid

National solidarity: Said Barkat

Parliamentary affairs: Mahmoud Khedri

Post & information & communication technologies: Moussa Benhamadi

Prospective planning & statistics: Abdelhamid Temmar

Public works: Amar Ghoul

Trade: Mustapha Benbada

Transport: Amar Tou

Water resources: Abdelmalek Sellal

Central bank governor

Mohammed Laksaci