User:Yorktown1776~enwiki/Ideas

Constitution
The Algerian Constitution was first established in 1963, following the Algerian War of Independence. In its 1963 form, it declared Algeria a one-party state ruled by the National Liberation Front. Houari Boumedienne issued a second constitution in 1976, emphasizing the importance of socialism.

In 1986, Chadli Bendjedid modified the constitution in the direction of capitalism, and in 1989 brought in a new constitution, approved in a referendum by 73% on February 23, 1989, which disestablished the ruling party and made no mention of socialism, while promising "freedom of expression, association, and assembly". In 1996, it was further modified, allowing the formation of political parties not "founded on a religious, linguistic, racial, sex, corporatist or regional basis" or violating "the fundamental liberties, the fundamental values and components of the national identity, the national unity, the security and integrity of the national territory, the independence of the country and the People’s sovereignty as well as the democratic and republican nature of the State."

A further proposed revision, removing the presidential term limit in Article 74 to allow the president to run for office indefinitely often, is currently (as of 2006) being drafted by Abdelaziz Belkhadem's government.

President
The President is the head of state and chief executive of Algeria.

Powers
The President is the chairman of the Council of Ministers and the High Security Council. The President is elected to a five year term and is constitutionally limited to two terms. He appoints one-third of the upper house of the legislature, the Council of the Nation, as well as the Prime Minister, who serves as head of government.

History
The Tripoli Program, which served as Algeria's constitution when it won its war for independence from France in 1962, established the President as the head of state with a Prime Minister assisting in the operation of government. Internal political maneuvering resulted in a new constitution in 1963 that abolished the Prime Minister position and devolved all executive power upon the office of the President. The constitution written in 1976 maintained the executive power of the Presidency, but the modifications of 1979 stripped the head of government status from the office.

In a response to a major shift in the party makeup of the legislature, Chadli Bendjedid dissolved the parliament and resigned on 11 January 1992. Because there was no elected President, the military declared a state of emergency and took over government of the country, establishing a five-member High Council of State. The council appointed a President, Liamine Zéroual, to take office for a three-year term to facilitate a transfer back to normal elections for the office. Zéroual called the first of these elections in 1995, winning the full five-year term easily. He called another early election in 1999. Abdelaziz Bouteflika won this election after all other candidates dropped out. He won re-election on 8 April 2004; his term ends in 2009.

Prime Minister
The Prime Minister is the head of government of Algeria.

The Prime Minister is appointed by the President of Algeria, along with other ministers and members of the government that the new Prime Minister recommends. The People's National Assembly must approve the legislative program of the new government or the Assembly is dissolved and the Prime Minister must resign. There are no constitutional limits on a Prime Minister's term but the longest-serving was Mohamed Ben Ahmed Abdelghani, who served from 1979 to 1984.

Parliament
The Council of the Nation (al-Majlis al-Umma) is the upper house of the Algerian Parliament. It is composed of 2/3 members elected by the population, and 1/3 appointed by the President of Algeria.

The People's National Assembly (al-Majlis al-Sha'abi al-Watani) is the lower house of the Algerian Parliament. It is composed of 380 members directly elected by the population.

Political Parties
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. The Algerian Constitution (as of 1996) allows the formation of any party not "founded on a religious, linguistic, racial, sex, corporatist or regional basis" or violating "the fundamental liberties, the fundamental values and components of the national identity, the national unity, the security and integrity of the national territory, the independence of the country and the People’s sovereignty as well as the democratic and republican nature of the State."

In Arabic, French, and English, major Algerian political parties are typically referred to by the three or four initials of their French names. (The Movement of Society for Peace, which uses an Arabic acronym, is an exception.) In formal contexts, however, their full names are used.

Other Parties

 * Ahd 54
 * Algerian Party for Democracy and Socialism (Parti Algérien pour la Démocratie et le Socialisme)
 * The Cause (Essabil)
 * National Republican Alliance (ANR)
 * Natural Law Party (Parti de la Loi Naturelle)
 * Socialist Workers' Party (Algeria)

Parties not legally recognized

 * Wafaa

Illegal Parties

 * FIS: Islamic Salvation Front (Front Islamique du Salut)

Foreign Relations
Algeria has traditionally practiced an activist foreign policy and in the 1960s and 1970s was noted for its support of Third World policies and independence movements. Algerian diplomacy was instrumental in obtaining the release of U.S. hostages from Iran in 1980, and in ending the Iran-Iraq War. Since his inauguration, President Bouteflika worked to improve Algeria's international reputation, traveling extensively throughout the world. In July 2001, he became the first Algerian President to visit the White House in 16 years. He has made official visits to France, South Africa, Italy, Spain, Germany, the People's Republic of China, Japan, and Russia, among others, since his inauguration.

Algeria has taken the lead in working on issues related to the African Continent. Host of the Organisation of African Unity Conference in 2000, Algeria also was key in bringing Ethiopia and Eritrea to the peace table in 2000. It has worked closely with its African neighbors to establish the New African Partnership. Algeria has taken a lead in reviving the Union of the Arab Maghreb with its regional neighbors.

Since 1976, Algeria has supported the Polisario Front, a group claiming to represent the population of Western Sahara, which is based among the 160,000 Sahrawi refugees who reside in refugee camps in Algeria. Contending that the Sahrawis have a right to self determination under the UN Charter, Algeria has provided the Polisario with material, financial, and political support and sanctuary in southwestern Algeria's Tindouf Province. UN involvement in the Western Sahara includes MINURSO, a peacekeeping force, and UNHCR, for refugee assistance and resettlement. Active diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute under the auspices of the Special Representative of the Secretary General are on-going. Although the land border between Morocco and Algeria was closed in the wake of a terrorist attack, the two have worked at improving relations. Algeria has friendly relations with its other neighbors in the Maghreb, Tunisia and Libya, and with its Sub-Saharan neighbors, Mali and Niger. It closely monitors developments in the Middle East and has been strong proponent of the rights of the Palestinian people, calling publicly for an end to violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Algeria has diplomatic relations with more than 100 foreign countries, and over 90 countries maintain diplomatic representation in Algiers.

International disputes: part of the southeastern region is also claimed by Libya; Algeria supports exiled Western Saharan Polisario Front and rejects Moroccan administration of Western Sahara; some countries question its use of capital punishment.