Parliament Seats Increased to 462 to Cope With Population Growth

The number of the National Assembly (the lower house of Parliament) has been brought up to 462, rather than 389, according to the ordinance being approved Tuesday by Ministers Council chaired by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

A statement of the Ministers Council said that the ordinance suggesting increasing the lower house seats has been examined and approved to go in line with the rise of the population in the North African nation, according to 2008 census, which concluded that Algeria population is estimated at 36.5 million.

Meanwhile, President Bouteflika said on Tuesday that the major required legislative and regulatory mechanisms for the organization of parliament election “are now in place.”

The Ministers Council statement said it has examined and adopted Tuesday a presidential decree on the organization and running of the national commission of the elections supervision.

This commission, exclusively composed of magistrates, has been instituted by the organic law on the electoral system, in response to wide demand of parties and political personalities, the Cabinet said in a statement.

It is tasked with overseeing the electoral process from the submission of candidate applications, until the end of the voting operation.