National holiday: Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Constitution: 17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789
Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President William Jefferson
CLINTON (since 20 January 1993); Vice President Albert GORE, Jr.
(since 20 January 1993); election last held 3 November 1992 (next to
be held 5 November 1996); results - William Jefferson CLINTON
(Democratic Party) 43.2%, George BUSH (Republican Party) 37.7%, Ross
PEROT (Independent) 19.0%, other 0.1%
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president with Senate approval
Legislative branch: bicameral Congress Senate: elections last held 8 November 1994 (next to be held 5 November 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (100 total) Republican Party 54, Democratic Party 46 House of Representatives: elections last held 8 November 1994 (next to be held 5 November 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (435 total) Republican Party 231, Democratic Party 203, independent 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Republican Party, Haley BARBOUR, national committee chairman; Jeanie AUSTIN, co-chairman; Democratic Party, David C. WILHELM, national committee chairman; several other groups or parties of minor political significance
Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, Australia Group,
BIS, CCC, CP, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, ESCAP, FAO, G- 2, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8,
G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OSCE, PCA,
SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR,
UNMIH, UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO, ZC
Flag: thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small white five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico