Algeria · Legislation
Legislation and primary sources
Where to find the authoritative text of the law in Algeria, and how to confirm it is still in force.
Sources of law, ranked
- The Constitution
- Supreme; reviewed by the Constitutional Court since 2020.
- Legislation
- Statutes of the People's National Assembly and Council of the Nation; organic laws for institutional matters.
- Presidential ordinances
- Issued between sessions or in exceptional circumstances, subject to later ratification.
- Islamic law
- The reference for the Family Code and the residual source in personal status and succession.
- Custom
- Recognised where legislation and Islamic law are silent.
The legislative process
Bills come from the government or from at least twenty members of either chamber. They are examined in committee, passed by the People's National Assembly and then the Council of the Nation, with a joint commission resolving disagreement. Organic laws require an absolute majority in the lower house and a three-quarters majority in the upper, plus mandatory constitutional review. The President promulgates within thirty days and may seek a second reading requiring a two-thirds majority to overcome.
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