Algeria is now known as a French government-general. This government-general is of the French Union. What this means for Algeria is that it is in theory a state of France and is treated as such.
While Algeria has elected officials there is one position that is not elected by the people of Algeria. This is the governor-general. The governor general of Algeria is appointed by the French government.
Algeria has its own legislative body called the Assembly. This can be compared to the Senate and House of Representatives in the United States government. Each house of the Assembly has sixty members. These members create laws that only apply in Algeria. However these laws must be approved by the governor-general.
A large part of the Algerian population still do not have the right to vote. This part of the population are called the Mohammedans. Many Mohammedans have not fulfilled requirements set forth by the French. Due to this they cannot vote.
The French government has set up a department called the “Bureau of Arab Affairs”. This government office has been created in order to govern the Mohammedan. This has been done so that the culture and customs of the Mohammedan people can be preserved without interfering with the current government structure. The Mohammedan people are still very much part of the Algerian culture and have many rights within the country. In fact Mohammedans are free to hold a government position or join the army.
In summary Algeria has a democratically elected government that creates the laws for its country and people. However it is considered to be a part of France and because of that it has a heavy French influence on the laws and customs of Algeria. It is important to note that Algeria gained independence from France in 1962.
