Magharebia

Partial elections for the renewal of half of the two thirds of the members of the Council of Nations (the Senate) will be held in 48 Algerian provinces on Thursday (December 28th). Under the constitution, the Senate has 144 seats – one-third of the members are appointed by the president, two-thirds are elected by regional and municipal authorities. The Council of Nations serves a six-year term with one-half of the seats up for election or reappointment every three years. Said Bouhadja, the spokesperson of presently largest party in the country, the National Liberation Front (FLN), said the party hopes to grasp 25 to 30 of the seats at the polls. (APS, El Moudjahid)