Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lennart MERI (since 21 October 1992);
election last held 20 September 1992; (next to be held fall 1996);
results - no candidate received majority; newly elected Parliament
elected Lennart MERI (21 October 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Andres TARAND (since NA October
1994)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister,
authorized by the legislature
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Riigikogu): elections last held 5 March 1995 (next to be held NA 1998); results - KMU 32.22%, RE 16.18%, K 14.17%, Pro Patria and ERSP 7.85%, M 5.98%, Our Home is Estonia and Right-Wingers 5.0%; seats - (101 total) KMU 41, RE 19, K 16, Pro Patria 8, Our Home is Estonia 6, M 6, Right-Wingers 5
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Coalition Party and Rural Union (KMU)
made up of 4 parties: Coalition Party, Country People's Party,
Farmer's Assembly, and Pensioners' and Families' League; Coalition
Party, Tiit VAHI, chairman; Country People's Party, Arnold RUUTEL,
chairman; Farmer's Assembly, Jaak-Hans KUKS, chairman; Pensioners' and
Families' League; Reform Party-Liberals (RE), Siim KALLAS, chairman;
Center Party (K), Edgar SAVISAAR, chairman; Union of Pro Patria
(Isaama of Fatherland), Mart LAAR, chairman; National Independence
Party (ERSP), Kelam TUNNE, chairman; Our Home is Estonia made up of 2
parties: United Peoples Party and the Russian Party in Estonia; United
Peoples Party, Viktor ANDREJEV, chairman; Russian Party in Estonia,
Sergei KUZNETSOV, chairman; Moderates (M) made up of 2 parties: Social
Democratic Party and Rural Center Party; Social Democratic Party, Eiki
NESTOR, chairman; Rural Center Party, Vambo KAAL, chairman;
Right-Wingers, Ulo NUGIS, chairman
Member of: BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent),
ITU, NACC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WEU (associate
partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Toomas Hendrik ILVES chancery: 1030 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005, Suite 1000 telephone: [1] (202) 789-0320 FAX: [1] (202) 789-0471 consulate(s) general: New York
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Keith SMITH embassy: Kentmanni 20, Tallinn EE 0001 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [372] (2) 312-021 through 024 FAX: [372] (2) 312-025
Flag: pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white
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