The People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria achieved its independence in 1962, after more than a century of French rule, and is a semi-presidential republic, whose legal system is a mixture of French civil law and Islamic law. The government is divided into Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches. The President, elected by direct and popular vote, every five years, serves as both the Chief Executive and the Commander in Chief. The President appoints the Prime Minister, who serves as the head of the Government. The previous constitution was enacted in 1963 and has been amended on a number of occasions. In May 2014, following President Abdelazziz Bouteflika’s re-election, the Government released a constitutional reform package.
Algeria’s current Constitution was adopted in 2020, within which they provide for a preamble that consider climate change. The judicial power of Algeria is divided into independent courts. At the top of the judicial hierarchy are the Constitutional Court —which ensures the Constitution’s observance— and the Supreme Court. Article 201 establishes that the Constitutional Court can hear from cases referred to by the President of the Republic, the President of the Council of the Nation, the President of the People’s National Assembly, the Head of the Government, forty deputies or twenty-five members of the Council of the Nation. The Court may issue opinions regarding the constitutional observance of laws, treaties, decrees and regulations, as well as when constitutional powers conflict. The Supreme Court, on the other hand, ensures the standardization of jurisprudence across the country and shall oversee the adherence to the law and, when one of the parties in a trial claims before its jurisdiction that the legislative or regulatory provision upon which the issue of litigation relies may adversely affect the rights and freedoms granted by the Constitution, it may refer the case to the Constitutional Court.
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Algeria
Political Groups
G77, The Arab Group
Global Climate Risk Index
105.17
Targets
World Bank Income Group
Upper middle income
Share of Global Emissions
0.57%
Documents
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2022Policy
The Council decides on the strategies to be followed with regard to the country’s energy security, especially through preserving, renewing and developing national reserves of hydrocarbons, following up and evaluating the implementation of long-term plans to develop the basic structures for the production, transport, supply, storage and distribution of energy materials and ...
2020Legislative
The Constitution of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria was adopted on 2020. It was passed because of civil unrest and a consequential referendum held on 1 November 2020. The referendum text was passed with 66.8% of votes cast from a 23.8% turnout of eligible voters. The Constitution of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria is hierarchically above all o...
Targets (13)
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- Reduction of GHG emissions of 7 to 22% by 2030 against a 2013 baselineEconomy-wide: Economy Wide · Target year: 2030Source: The National Climate Plan
- To install 22,000MW of power generating capacity from renewable sources between 2011 and 2030 (of which 12,000MW for internal usage and 10,000MW for export), meeting 20% of electricity generation from renewables by 2030Energy: Renewable Energy · Target year: 2030Source: Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Development Plan
- Achieving 35,000 hectares of forests and developing another 175,000 hectares by 2030 against a 2013 baselineLULUCF: Afforestation · Target year: 2030Source: The National Climate Plan
- Uptake of renewable energies and sets a target of installing of 22,000 MW of renewable power capacity between 2011 and 2030, divided between 12, 000 MW to be dedicated to cover the national demand for electricity and 10,000 MW for export by 2030Energy: Renewable Energy · Target year: 2030Source: The National Climate Plan
- Solar to reach 37% of national power supply by 2030Energy: Renewable Energy: Solar · Target year: 2030Source: Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Development Plan
Legislative Process
The legislative authority is held and exercised by a bicameral Parliament composed of the Council of the Nation (the upper house or Senate) and the National People’s Assembly (the lower house). The Council of the Nation, first instituted in 1997, consists of 144 seats, one third of which are appointed by the President and the remaining two thirds are elected by indirect vote of the elected members of communal assemblies and wilayas (provinces). Members serve for six-year terms and half of the Council is renewed every three years. The last Council of the Nation election was in 2012, and the next anticipated election is 2017. The National People’s Assembly is currently 462 seats, up from 389 during the last term, all of which are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms. A National People’s Assembly election was held in June 2021.
Laws are first put forth by the National People’s Assembly and must be adopted by both houses; although the Council of the Nation has the absolute power to block the Legislative process, it neither has the authority to initiate legislation nor amend it. Prior to adoption, a bill is first successively debated in the National People’s Assembly then the Council of the Nation. Bills are adopted by a majority of three quarters of the members. In the event of a disagreement among the houses, a joint committee is created, composed of members of both houses, to propose a revised text, which is then subject to the approval of both houses and is not amendable.
When the National People’s Assembly is in recess, the President can legislate by ordinance; however, the President must present the text of the order/decree to both houses during the next session for approval. Ordinances not approved by both houses are considered obsolete. Presidential decrees do not have to be approved by both houses during a presidentially declared ‘state of emergency’. Algeria operated under a ‘state of emergency’ for 19 years, until it was officially lifted in February 2011.