Independence:
8 September 1991 (referendum by registered voters endorsing
independence from Yugoslavia)
National holiday:
Uprising Day, 2 August (1903); note - also known as Saint Elijah's
Day and Ilinden
Constitution:
adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991; amended
November 2001 by a series of new constitutional amendments
strengthening minority rights and in 2005 with amendments related to
the judiciary
Legal system:
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Branko CRVENKOVSKI (since 12 May 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Nikola GRUEVSKI (since 28 August
2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the majority vote of all
the deputies in the Assembly; note - current cabinet formed by the
government coalition parties VMRO/DPMNE, NSDP, PDSH/DPA, and several
small parties
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); two-round election last held 14 April
and 28 April 2004 (next to be held by April 2009); prime minister
elected by the Assembly following legislative elections
election results: Branko CRVENKOVSKI elected president on
second-round ballot; percent of vote - Branko CRVENKOVSKI 62.7%,
Sasko KEDEV 37.3%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly or Sobranie (120 seats - members elected by
popular vote from party lists based on the percentage of the overall
vote the parties gain in each of six electoral districts; all serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 5 July 2006 (next to be held by July 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - VMRO-DPMNE 32.5%, SDSM
23.3%, DUI 12.2%, PDSH/DPA 7.5%; seats by party - VMRO-DPMNE 44,
SDSM 32, DUI 28, PDSH/DPA 11, other 5
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court - the Assembly appoints the judges; Constitutional
Court - the Assembly appoints the judges; Republican Judicial
Council - the Assembly appoints the judges
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Alliance [Pavle TRAJANOV]; Democratic Alternative or DA
[Vasil TUPURKOVSKI]; Democratic League of the Bosniaks [Rafet
MUMINOVIC]; Democratic Party of Albanians or PDSH/DPA [Arben
XHAFERI]; Democratic Party of Serbs [Ivan STOILJKOVIC]; Democratic
Party of Turks [Kenan HASIPI]; Democratic Renewal of Macedonia
[Liljana POPOVSKA]; Democratic Republican Union of Macedonia or DRUM
[Goran RAFAJLOVSKI]; Democratic Union of Vlachs for Macedonia [Mitko
KOSTOV]; Democratic Union for Integration or DUI [Ali AHMETI];
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for
Macedonian National Unity or VMRO-DPMNE [Nikola GRUEVSKI]; Internal
Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Macedonian [Boris STOJMENOV];
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-People's Party or
VMRO-Narodna [Vesna JANEVSKA, acting]; League for Democracy [Gjorgi
MARJANOVIC]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Risto PENOV]; Liberal
Party [Stojan ANDOV]; National Alternative [Harun ALIU]; National
Democratic Party or PDK [Basri HALITI]; National Farmers' Party
[Vejljo TANTAROV]; New Democratic Forces [Hysni SHAQIRI]; New Social
Democratic Party or NSDP [Tito PETKOVSKI]; Party for Democratic
Future [Alajdin DEMIRI]; Party for Democratic Prosperity or PPD/PDP
[Abduljhadi VEJSELI]; Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia or
SDSM [Vlado BUCKOVSKI]; Socialist Party of Macedonia or SP [Ljubisav
IVANOV-ZINGO]; United Party for Emancipation or OPE [Nezdet MUSTAFA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Civic Movement of Macedonia [Gordana SILJANOVSKA]; World Macedonian
Congress [Todor PETROV]