National holiday: National Day, 20 March (1956)
Constitution: 1 June 1959; amended 12 July 1988
Legal system: based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Zine el Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November
1987); election last held 20 March 1994 (next to be held NA 1999);
results - President Zine el Abidine BEN ALI was reelected without
opposition
head of government: Prime Minister Hamed KAROUI (since 26 September
1989)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president
Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of Deputies (Majlis al-Nuwaab): elections last held 20 March 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); results - RCD 97.7%, MDS 1.0%, others 1.3%; seats - (163 total) RCD 144, MDS 10, others 9; note - the government changed the electoral code to guarantee that the opposition won seats
Judicial branch: Court of Cassation (Cour de Cassation)
Political parties and leaders: Constitutional Democratic Rally Party
(RCD), President BEN ALI (official ruling party); Movement of
Democratic Socialists (MDS), Mohammed MOUAADA; five other political
parties are legal, including the Communist Party
Other political or pressure groups: the Islamic fundamentalist party,
An Nahda (Rebirth), is outlawed
Member of: ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, ECA, FAO,
G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU,
MINURSO, NAM, OAPEC (withdrew from active membership in 1986), OAS
(observer), OAU, OIC, UN, UNAMIR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNITAR, UNMIH, UNPROFOR, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO