The Bicameral Parliament, which consists 389 seats all elected by popular vote, and the Council of Nations, which has 149 seats, one-third appointed by the president, and two-thirds elected by indirect vote, makes up the Legislative branch. The Judicial branch is made up of the Supreme Court. There are a total of 15 political parties in Algeria. .
The education system of Algeria is based upon the French model of education. It requires nine years of primary school from the ages of six to fifteen, and 3 years of secondary school with the ages of fifteen to eighteen. Secondary education consists of a three-year cycle of study with general, specialized, and technical/vocational education. Students in general and specialized education study for three years and sit for the Baccalaureat Examination. Those who pass is rewarded the Baccalaureat de l"Enseignement Secondaire (secondary school diploma) which gives to access to some institutions of higher learning or college. Technical/vocational education prepares students for the trade industry. There are currently eighteen major universities in Algeria. Some of the universities include Universite d"Alger in Algiers and Universite d"Oran in the province of Oran.
The French who began to colonize in the area of Algeria around the 1830's after the Napoleonic Wars and the Revolution of 1830 created the borders of modern-day Algeria. For the benefit of French colonists, northern Algeria was eventually organized into overseas departments of France, with representatives in the French Nation Assembly. France controlled the entire country, but the Algeria was divided with the Muslim population in the rural areas and the modern European community. In the part of the country where Europeans accounted for most of the population, mayors and councils were elected for self-governing, and in the Muslim populated areas the government was in the hands of the appointed and some elected officials.
