Constitution: 12 July 1979
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President (Beretitenti) Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994); Vice President (Kauoman-ni-Beretitenti) Tewareka TENTOA (since 12 October 1994); note-the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President (Beretitenti) Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994); Vice President (Kauoman-ni-Beretitenti) Tewareka TENTOA (since 12 October 1994); note-the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the House of Assembly, includes the president, vice president, attorney general, and up to eight other ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; note-the House of Assembly chooses the presidential candidates from among their members and then those candidates compete in a general election; election last held 30 September 1994 (next to be held by NA September 1998); vice president appointed by the president election results: Teburoro TITO elected president; percent of vote-Teburoro TITO 51.2%, Tewareka TENTOA 18.3%, Roniti TEIWAKI 16.0%, Peter Taberannang TIMEON 14.5%
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (41 seats; 39 elected by popular vote, one ex officio member, and one nominated to represent Banaba; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 22 July 1994 (next to be held by NA July 1998) election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-Maneaban Te Mauri Party 13, National Progressive Party 7, independents 19
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, judges at all levels are appointed by the president; High Court, judges at all levels are appointed by the president; 26 Magistrates' courts judges at all levels are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders: National Progressive Party, Teatao TEANNAKI; New Movement Party, leader NA; Liberal Party, Tewareka TENTOA; Maneaban Te Mauri Party, Teburoro TITO note: there is no tradition of formally organized political parties in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures
International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, IBRD,
ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFC, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol,
ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary consulate in Honolulu
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to the Marshall Islands is accredited to Kiribati