Algeria elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a five-year term by the people. People's National Assembly (al-Majlis al-Sha'abi al-Watani/Assemblé Populaire Nationale) has 380 members, elected for a five-year term in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation. Eight seats in the national assembly are reserved for Algerians abroad. The Council of the Nation (Majlis al-Umma/Conseil de la Nation) has 144 members, 96 members elected by communal councils and 48 members appointed by the president. Algeria has a multi-party system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments. According to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Algerian elections are generally free and fair. According to a US Embassy cable, the 2009 presidential elections were "carefully choreographed and heavily controlled", with the official turnout figure "exaggerated" by at least 45%.
Until 12 November 2008, presidents were limited to two terms; on this date, amendments to the constitution were passed with removed the term limits.
The next legislative election is scheduled for May 2012: Algerian legislative election, 2012.
Famous quotes containing the word elections:
“In my public statements I have earnestly urged that there rested upon government many responsibilities which affect the moral and spiritual welfare of our people. The participation of women in elections has produced a keener realization of the importance of these questions and has contributed to higher national ideals. Moreover, it is through them that our national ideals are ingrained in our children.”
—Herbert Hoover (1874–1964)