Independence: 28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire)
National holiday: Independence Day, 28 November (1912)
Constitution: an interim basic law was approved by the People's Assembly on 29 April 1991; a draft constitution was rejected by popular referendum in the fall of 1994 and a new draft is pending
Legal system: has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President of the Republic Sali BERISHA (since 9 April
1992)
head of government: Prime Minister of the Council of Ministers
Aleksander Gabriel MEKSI (since 10 April 1992)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president
Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly (Kuvendi Popullor): elections last held 22 March 1992; results - DP 62.29%, ASP 25.57%, SDP 4.33%, RP 3.15%, UHP 2.92%, other 1.74%; seats - (140 total) DP 92, ASP 38, SDP 7, RP 1, UHP 2 note: 6 members of the Democratic Party defected making the present seating in the Assembly DP 86, ASP 38, SDP 7, DAP 6, RP 1, UHP 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: there are at least 28 political
parties; most prominent are the Albanian Socialist Party (ASP;
formerly the Albania Workers Party), Fatos NANO, first secretary;
Democratic Party (DP); Albanian Republican Party (RP), Sabri GODO;
Omonia (Greek minority party), Sotir QIRJAZATI, first secretary;
Social Democratic Party (SDP), Skender GJINUSHI; Democratic Alliance
Party (DAP), Neritan CEKA, chairman; Unity for Human Rights Party
(UHP), Vasil MELO, chairman; Ecology Party (EP), Namik HOTI, chairman
Member of: BSEC, CCC, CE (guest), EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT
(nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NACC, OIC, OSCE,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO