Executive branch: chief of state: President Rene HARRIS (since NA 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Rene HARRIS (since NA 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a three-year term; election last held 27 April 1999 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: Rene HARRIS elected president; percent of Parliament vote - NA note: former President Bernard DOWIYOGO was deposed in a no-confidence vote
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 8 February 1997 (next to be held NA February 2000) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 18
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: loose multiparty system; Democratic
Party ; Nauru Party (informal)
International organization participation: AsDB, C, ESCAP, ICAO,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC,
SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in the US: Nauru does not have an embassy in the US, but will open a UN office early in 2000 at 800 2nd Avenue, New York, New York consulate(s): Agana (Guam)
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru
Flag description: blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; the star indicates the country's location in relation to the Equator (the yellow stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru
@Nauru:Economy
Economy - overview: Revenues of this tiny island come from exports of phosphates, but reserves are expected to be exhausted in the year 2000. Phosphates have given Nauruans one of the highest per capita incomes in the Third World, with estimates of GDP varying widely. Few other resources exist, thus most necessities must be imported, including fresh water from Australia. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. Substantial amounts of phosphate income are invested in trust funds to help cushion the transition. The government also has been borrowing heavily from the trusts to finance fiscal deficits. To cut costs the government has called for a freezing of wages, a reduction of over-staffed public service departments, privatization of numerous government agencies, and closure of some overseas consulates. In recent years Nauru has encouraged the registration of offshore banks and corporations. Tens of billions of dollars have been channeled through their accounts.