Independence: 6 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 18 November (1918)
Constitution: the 1991 Constitutional Law which supplements the 1922 constitution, provides for basic rights and freedoms
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Guntis ULMANIS (since 7 July 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Andris SKELE (since 21 December 1995) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a four-year term; election last held 7 July 1993 (next to be held by 20 June 1997); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Guntis ULMANIS elected president in the first round of balloting; percent of parliamentary vote - 53%
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections : last held 30 September-1 October 1995 (next to be held NA October 1998) election results: percent of vote by party - Saimnieks 18%, LC 17%, For Latvia 16%, TB 14%, LNNK 8%, Unity 8%, LSZ/LKDS 7%, Harmony 6%, Socialist 6%; seats by party - Saimnieks 18, LC 17, For Latvia 16, TB 14, LNNK 8, Unity 8, LSZ/LKDS 7, Harmony 6, Socialist 6
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges' appointments are confirmed by the Parliament
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party "Saimnieks" or DPS
[Ziedonis CEVERS, chairman]; Latvia's Way or LC [Valdis BIRKAVS]; For
Latvia [Joachim SIEGERIST]; Fatherland and Freedom or TB [Maris
GRINBLATS]; Latvian Unity Party or LVP [A. KAULS]; Latvian National
Conservative Party or LNNK [Anna SEILE]; Green Party or LSZ [O.
BATAREVSK]; Latvian Farmers Union or LZS [A. ROZENTALS]; Christian
Democrat Union or LKDS [Maris VITOLDS]; National Harmony Party or TSP
[Janis JURKANS]; Latvian Socialist Party or LSP [F. STROGANOVS];
Latvian Liberal Party or LLP [J. DANOSS]; Political Association of the
Underprivileged or MPA [B. PELSE, V. DIMANTS, J. KALNINS]; Latvian
Democratic Labor Party or LDDP [J. BOJARS]; Party of Russian Citizens
or LKPP [V. SOROCHIN, V. IVANOV]; Peoples Front of Latvia or LTF
[Uldis AUGSTKALNS]; Political Union of Economists or TPA [E. KIDE];
Latvian National Democratic Party or LNDP [A. MALINS]; "Our Land" or
MZ [M. DAMBEKALNE]; Anticommunist Union or PA [P. MUCENIEKS]; Latvian
Social-Democratic Workers Party or LSDSP; Party for the Defense of
Latvia's Defrauded People; Latvian Independence Party or LNP [Valdis
KONOVALOVS]
International organization participation: BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, EBRD,
ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO,
ITU, NACC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WEU (associate
partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)