Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President Nelson MANDELA
(since 10 May 1994); Deputy Executive Presidents Thabo MBEKI (since
10 May 1994) and Frederik W. DE KLERK (since 10 May 1994) were
elected by the National Assembly
note: any political party that wins 20% or more of the National
Assembly votes in a general election is entitled to name a deputy
executive president; moreover, any party that wins 20 or more seats
in the National Assembly is entitled to become a member of the
governing coalition; currently, the ANC, the IFP, and the NP
constitute a Government of National Unity (GNU)
cabinet: Cabinet was appointed by the president
Legislative branch: bicameral
National Assembly: elections last held 26-29 April 1994 (next to be
held NA April 1999); results - ANC 62.6%, NP 20.4%, IFP 10.5%, FF
2.2%, DP 1.7%, PAC 1.2%, ACDP 0.5%, other 0.9%; seats - (400 total)
ANC 252, NP 82, IFP 43, FF 9, DP 7, PAC 5, ACDP 2
Senate: the Senate is composed of members who are nominated by the
nine provincial parliaments (which are elected in parallel with the
National Assembly) and has special powers to protect regional
interests, including the right to limited self-determination for
ethnic minorities; seats - (90 total) ANC 61, NP 17, FF 4, IFP 5, DP
3
note: when the National Assembly meets in joint session with the
Senate to consider the provisions of the constitution, the combined
group is referred to as the Constitutional Assembly
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: African National Congress (ANC), Nelson MANDELA, president; National Party (NP), Frederik W. DE KLERK, president; Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president; Freedom Front (FF), Constand VILJOEN, president; Democratic Party (DP), Tony LEON, president; Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), Clarence MAKWETU, president; African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), Kenneth MESHOE, president note: in addition to these seven parties which received seats in the National Assembly, 11 other parties won votes in the national elections in April 1994
Other political or pressure groups: NA
International organization participation: BIS, C, CCC, ECA, FAO,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NAM, OAU, SACU,
SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Franklin SONN chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-4400 consulate(s) general: Beverly Hills (California), Chicago, and New York
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador James A. JOSEPH embassy: 877 Pretorius St., Arcadia 0083 mailing address: P.O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001 telephone: [27] (12) 342-1048 FAX: [27] (12) 342-2244 consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg
Flag: two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side, embracing a black isoceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes note: prior to 26 April 1994, the flag was actually four flags in one - three miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of the former flag of the Netherlands, which has three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags are a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side