_#_National holiday: Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen (second Saturday in June), 10 June 1989
_#_Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or House of Lords and a lower house or House of Commons
_#_Judicial branch: House of Lords
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);
Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the Queen, born 14 November 1948);
Head of Government—Prime Minister John MAJOR (since 28 November 1990)
_#_Political parties and leaders:
Conservative and Unionist Party, John MAJOR;
Labor Party, Neil KINNOCK;
Social and Liberal Democratic Party (SLDP; formed from the merger of the
Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party), Jeremy (Paddy) ASHDOWN;
Scottish National Party, Alex SALMOND;
Welsh National Party (Plaid Cymru), Dafydd THOMAS;
Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland), James MOLYNEAUX;
Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland), Rev. Ian PAISLEY;
Ulster Popular Unionist Party (Northern Ireland), James KILFEDDER;
Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP, Northern Ireland), John HUME;
Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland), Gerry ADAMS;
Alliance Party (Northern Ireland), John ALDERDICE;
Communist Party, Nina TEMPLE
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections: