Government type: NA

Administrative divisions: none (special administrative region of
China)

Independence: none (special administrative region of China)

National holiday: National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the
People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 20 December
1999 is celebrated as Macau Special Administrative Region
Establishment Day

Constitution: Basic Law, approved in March 1993 by China's National
People's Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution"

Legal system: based on Portuguese civil law system

Suffrage: direct election 18 years of age, universal for permanent residents living in Macau for the past seven years; indirect election limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters" (257 are currently registered) and a 300-member Election Committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies

Executive branch: chief of state: President of China JIANG Zemin (since 27 March 1993)

head of government: Chief Executive Edmund HO Hau-wah (since 20 December 1999)

cabinet: Executive Council consists of all five government secretaries, three legislators, and two businessmen