An Algerian Constitution was first adopted by a referendum in 1963, following the Algerian War of Independence (1954–62); originally, it was to be drafted by a constitutional assembly led by Ferhat Abbas, but this body was sidelined by Algeria's first President, Ahmed Ben Bella. In its 1963 form, the constitution declared Algeria a one-party state ruled by the former resistance movement, the National Liberation Front (FLN). This constitution was suspended by the military coup d'état of 1965. After years of ruling by executive fiat as leader of the Revolutionary Council, Houari Boumédienne issued a second constitution in 1976, emphasizing the importance of socialism and - formally - restoring political institutions to their primacy over the military establishment. (Boumédienne was then elected the country's second president, after having left the post vacant for eleven years.)
In 1986, Boumedienne's successor Chadli Bendjedid modified the constitution to allow for free-market reforms, and, after the 1988 October Riots, brought in a new constitution in 1988. This was approved in a referendum by 73% on 23 February 1989. It introduced a multi-party system, removing the FLN from its role as leading party, and made no mention of socialism; instead it promised "freedom of expression, association, and assembly". A 1992 military coup introduced a state of emergency, which suspended parts of the new constitution, as the Algerian Civil War began.
