Constitution:
19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised February 1989
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
National holiday:
Anniversary of the Revolution, 1 November (1954)
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral National People's Assembly (Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Mohamed BOUDIAF; assassinated 29 June 1992
Head of Government:
Interim Prime Minister Sid Ahmed GHOZALI (since 6 June 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
National Liberation Front (FLN); Socialist Forces Front (FFS), Hocine Ait
AHMED, Secretary General; the government established a multiparty system in
September 1989, and, as of 31 December 1990, over 30 legal parties existed
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
National People's Assembly:
first round held on 26 December 1991 (second round canceled by the military
after President BENJEDID resigned 11 January 1992); results - percent of
vote by party NA; seats - (281 total); the fundamentalist FIS won 188 of the
231 seats contested in the first round; note - elections (municipal and
wilaya) were held in June 1990, the first in Algerian history; results - FIS
55%, FLN 27.5%, other 17.5%, with 65% of the voters participating
President:
next election to be held December 1993
Communists:
400 (est.); Communist party banned 1962
Member of:
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN,
UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
:Algeria Government
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Abderrahmane BENSID; Chancery at 2118 Kalorama Road NW,
Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 265-2800
US:
Ambassador Mary Ann CASEY; Embassy at 4 Chemin Cheich Bachir El-Ibrahimi,
Algiers (mailing address is B. P. Box 549, Alger-Gare, 16000 Algiers);
telephone [213] (2) 601-425 or 255, 186; FAX [213] (2) 603979; there is a US
Consulate in Oran
Flag:
two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white with a red
five-pointed star within a red crescent; the crescent, star, and color green
are traditional symbols of Islam (the state religion)
:Algeria Economy
Overview:
The oil and natural gas sector forms the backbone of the economy. Algeria
depends on hydrocarbons for nearly all of its export receipts, about 30% of
government revenues, and nearly 25% of GDP. In 1973-74 the sharp increase in
oil prices led to a booming economy and helped to finance an ambitious
program of industrialization. Plunging oil and gas prices, combined with the
mismanagement of Algeria's highly centralized economy, has brought the
nation to its most serious social and economic crisis since independence in
1988. The government has promised far-reaching reforms, including
privatization of some public- sector companies, encouraging private-sector
activity, boosting gas and nonhydrocarbon exports, and proposing a major
overhaul of the banking and financial systems, but to date it has made only
limited progress.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $54 billion, per capita $2,130; real growth rate
2.5% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
30% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
30% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues $16.7 billion; expenditures $17.3 billion, including capital
expenditures of $6.6 billion (1990 est.)
Exports:
$11.7 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
petroleum and natural gas 97%
partners:
Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Italy, France, US
Imports:
$9 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
capital goods 29%, consumer goods 30%
partners:
France 25%, Italy 8%, FRG 8%, US 6-7%
External debt:
$26.4 billion
Industrial production:
growth rate —3% (1989 est.); accounts for 30% of GDP, including petroleum
Electricity:
6,380,000 kW capacity; 16,700 million kWh produced, 640 kWh per capita
(1991)
Industries:
petroleum, light industries, natural gas, mining, electrical, petrochemical,
food processing
Agriculture:
accounts for 11% of GDP and employs 24% of labor force; net importer of food
- grain, vegetable oil, and sugar; farm production includes wheat, barley,
oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits, sheep, and cattle
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-85), $1.4 billion; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $925 million; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $1.8 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.7
billion; net official disbursements (1985-89), —$375 million
Currency:
Algerian dinar (plural - dinars); 1 Algerian dinar (DA) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
Algerian