Independence: 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday: National Statehood Day, 25 June (1991)
Constitution: adopted 23 December 1991, effective 23 December 1991
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
Executive branch: chief of state: President Milan KUCAN (since 22 April 1990) head of government: Prime Minister Janez DRNOVSEK (since 14 May 1992) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 24 November 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); following National Assembly elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually nominated to become prime minister by the president and elected by the National Assembly; election last held 10 November 1996 (next to be held NA November 2000) election results: Milan KUCAN elected president; percent of vote-Milan KUCAN 56.3%, Janez PODOBNIK 18%; Janez DRNOVSEK elected prime minister; percent of National Assembly vote-51%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Drzavni Zbor (90 seats, 40 are directly elected and 50 are selected on a proportional basis; note-the numbers of directly elected and proportionally elected seats varies with each election; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: National Assembly-last held 10 November 1996 (next to be held Fall 2000) election results: percent of vote by party-LDS 27.01%, SLS 19.38%, SDS 16.13%, SKD 9.62%, ZLDS 9.03%, DeSUS 4.32%, SNS 3.22%; seats by party-LDS 25, SLS 19, SDS 16, SKD 10, ZLSD 9, DeSUS 5, SNS 4, Hungarian minority 1, Italian minority 1; note-seating as of January 1997 is as follows: LDS 25, SLS 19, SDS 16, SKD 9, ZLSD 9, DeSUS 5, SNS 4, Hungarian minority 1, Italian minority 1, independents 1 note: the National Council or Drzavni Svet is an advisory body with limited legislative powers; it may propose laws and ask to review any National Assembly decisions; in the election of NA November 1997, 40 members were elected to represent local, professional, and socioeconomic interests (next election to be held in the fall of 2002)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are elected by the National
Assembly on recommendation of the Judicial Council; Constitutional
Court, judges elected for nine-year terms by the National Assembly and
nominated by the president
Political parties and leaders: Liberal Democratic or LDS [Janez
DRNOVSEK, chairman]; Slovene Christian Democrats or SKD [Lozje
PETERLE, chairman]; Social Democratic Party of Slovenia or SDS [Janez
JANSA, chairman]; Slovene People's Party or SLS [Marjan PODOBNIK,
chairman]; United List (former Communists and allies) or ZLSD [Borut
PAHOR, chairman]; Slovene National Party or SNS [Zmago JELINCIC,
chairman]; Democratic Party of Retired (Persons) of Slovenia or DeSUS
[Joze GLOBACNIK]
Political pressure groups and leaders: none