Chapter 68 of 98 · 4000 words · ~20 min read

Part 68

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (highest court for criminal, civil, and administrative cases), Superior Court of Arbitration (highest court that resolves economic disputes) Political parties and leaders: pro-market democrats: Party of Russian Unity and Accord, Sergey SHAKHRAY; Russia's Choice electoral association, Yegor GAYDAR; Russian Movement for Democratic Reforms electoral association, Anatoliy SOBCHAK; Yavlinskiy-Boldyrev-Lukin Bloc electoral association, Grigoriy YAVLINSKIY centrists/special interest parties: Civic Union for Stability, Justice, and Progress, Arkadiy VOL'SKIY; Constructive-Ecological Movement of Russia, Anatoliy PANFILOV; Democratic Party of Russia, Nikolay TRAVKIN; Dignity and Charity Federal Political Movement, Konstantin FROLOV; Russia's Future-New Names electoral association, Vyacheslav LASHCHEVSKIY; Women of Russia Party, Alevtina FEDULOVA anti-market and/or ultranationalist parties: Agrarian Party, Mikhail LAPSHIN; Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Gennadiy ZYUGANOV; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Vladimir ZHIRINOVSKIY note: more than 20 political parties and associations tried to gather enough signatures to run slates of candidates in the 12 December 1993 legislative elections, but only 13 succeeded Other political or pressure groups: NA Member of: BSEC, CBSS, CCC, CE (guest), CERN (observer), CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, ESCAP, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NACC, NSG, OAS (observer), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UN Security Council, UNTAC, UN Trusteeship Council, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Vladimir Petrovich LUKIN chancery: 1125 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: (202) 628-7551 and 8548 consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco, and Seattle consulate(s): Washington US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas R. PICKERING embassy: Novinskiy Bul'var 19/23, Moscow mailing address: APO AE 09721 telephone: [7] (095) 252-2451 through 2459 FAX: [7] (095)-4261/4270 consulate(s): St. Petersburg, Vladivostok Flag: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red

@Russia, Economy

Overview: Russia, a vast country with a wealth of natural resources, a well-educated population, and a diverse industrial base, continues to experience severe difficulties in moving from its old centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. President YEL'TSIN's government has made some progress toward a market economy by freeing most prices, slashing defense spending, unifying foreign exchange rates, and launching an ambitious privatization program. Yet much of the old order persists and YEL'TSIN faces formidable opposition to further measures such as the reduction of subsidies to old-line industries. Output continues to fall although the mix is gradually becoming more responsive to Russia's needs. According to Russian official data, GDP declined by 12% in 1993 compared with 19% in 1992. Industrial output in 1993 fell 16% with all major sectors taking a hit. Agricultural production, meanwhile, was down 6%. The grain harvest totalled 99 million tons - some 8 million tons less than in 1992. Unemployment climbed in 1993 but remained low by Western standards. The official number of unemployed rose from 578,000 at the beginning of 1993 to about 1 million - or roughly 1.4% of the work force - by yearend. According to the Russian labor minister, the actual number of unemployed probably was closer to 4 million. Government fears of large-scale unemployment continued to hamper industrial restructuring efforts. According to official statistics, average real wages remained flat. Nonetheless, a substantial portion of the population, particularly the elderly and people in remote areas, finds its well-being steadily shrinking. The disparity in incomes between the rich and poor continued to rise in 1993, primarily reflecting the high earnings of enterprise managers and persons employed in the emerging private sector. The government tried to narrow the income gap by raising the wages of budget-funded workers - mainly teachers and health care specialists. Official data may overstate hardships, because many Russians supplement their income by moonlighting or by bartering goods and services, activities that often go unreported. Russia made good progress on privatization in 1993 despite active opposition from key cabinet members, hard-line legislators, and antireform regional leaders. By yearend, for example, roughly 35% of Russia's medium and large state enterprises had been auctioned, while the number of private farms in Russia increased by 86,000, reaching a total of 170,000. As a result, about 6% of agricultural land now has been privatized. Financial stabilization continued to remain a challenge for the government. Moscow tightened financial policies in early 1993 - including postponing planned budget spending - and succeeded in reducing monthly inflation from 27% in January to 20% in May and June. In the summer, however, the government relaxed austerity measures in the face of mounting pressure from industry and agriculture, sparking a new round of inflation; the monthly inflation rate jumped to 25% in August. In response, Moscow announced a package of measures designed to curb government spending and inflation. It included eliminating bread subsidies, delaying payment obligations, raising interest rates, and phasing out concessionary Central Bank credits to enterprises and regions. The measures met with some success; the monthly inflation rate declined to 13% in December. According to official statistics, Russia's 1993 trade with nations outside the former Soviet Union produced a $16 billion surplus, up from $6 billion in 1992. Moscow arrested the steep drop in exports that it had been suffering as a result of ruptured ties with former trading partners, output declines, and erratic efforts to move to world prices. Foreign sales - comprised largely of oil, natural gas, and other raw materials - grew slightly. Imports were down by 15% or so as a result of new import taxes and Moscow's reluctance to increase its debt burden by purchasing grain and other goods with foreign credits. Russian trade with other former Soviet republics continued to decline and yielded a surplus of some $5 billion. At the same time, Russia paid only a fraction of the roughly $20 billion in debt coming due in 1993, and by mid-year, Russia's foreign debt had amounted to $81.5 billion. While Moscow reached agreement to restructure debts with Paris Club official creditors in April 1993, Moscow's refusal to waive its right to sovereign immunity kept Russia and its bank creditors from agreeing to restructure Moscow's commercial loans. Capital flight continued to be a serious problem in 1993, with billions of dollars in assets owned by Russians being parked abroad at yearend. Russia's capital stock continues to deteriorate because of insufficient maintenance and new construction. The capital stock on average is twice the age of capital stock in the West. Many years will pass before Russia can take full advantage of its natural resources and its human assets. National product: GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $775.4 billion (1993 estimate from the UN International Comparison Program, as extended to 1991 and published in the World Bank's World Development Report 1993; and as extrapolated to 1993 using official Russian statistics, which are very uncertain because of major economic changes since 1990) National product real growth rate: -12% (1993 est.) National product per capita: $5,190 (1993 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 21% per month (average 1993); 13% per month (December 1993) Unemployment rate: 1.4% (1 January 1994; official data) Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA Exports: $43 billion (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures partners: Europe, North America, Japan, Third World countries, Cuba Imports: $27 billion (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, consumer goods, grain, meat, sugar, semifinished metal products partners: Europe, North America, Japan, Third World countries, Cuba External debt: $81.5 billion (mid-year 1993 est.) Industrial production: growth rate -16% (1993 est.) Electricity: capacity: 213,000,000 KW production: 956 billion kWh consumption per capita: 6,782 kWh (1 January 1992) Industries: complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; ship- building; road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables Agriculture: grain, sugar beet, sunflower seeds, meat, milk, vegetables, fruits; because of its northern location does not grow citrus, cotton, tea, and other warm climate products Illicit drugs: illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy; mostly for domestic consumption; government has active eradication program; used as transshipment point for Asian and Latin American illicit drugs to Western Europe and Latin America Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (1990-93), $13 billion; other countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1988-93), $115 billion Currency: 1 ruble (R) = 100 kopeks Exchange rates: rubles per US$1 - 1,247 (27 December 1993), 415 (24 December 1992); nominal exchange rate still deteriorating but real exchange rate strengthening Fiscal year: calendar year

@Russia, Communications

Railroads: 158,100 km all 1.520-meter broad gauge; 86,800 km in common carrier service, of which 48,900 km are diesel traction and 37,900 km are electric traction; 71,300 km serves specific industry and is not available for common carrier use (30 June 1993) Highways: total: 893,000 km paved and gravel: 677,000 km unpaved: 216,000 km Inland waterways: total navigable routes in general use 100,000 km; routes with navigation guides serving the Russian River Fleet 95,900 km; of which routes with night navigational aids 60,400 km; man-made navigable routes 16,900 km (30 June 1993) Pipelines: crude oil 48,000 km; petroleum products 15,000 km; natural gas 140,000 km (30 June 1993) Ports: coastal - St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Murmansk, Petropavlovsk, Arkhangel'sk, Novorossiysk, Vladivostok, Nakhodka, Kholmsk, Korsakov, Magadan, Tiksi, Tuapse, Vanino, Vostochnyy, Vyborg; inland - Astrakhan', Nizhniy Novgorod, Kazan', Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Samara, Moscow, Rostov, Volgograd Merchant marine: 867 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 8,084,988 GRT/11,124,929 DWT, barge carrier 2, bulk cargo 26, cargo 454, chemical tanker 9, combination bulk 28, combination ore/oil 16, container 82, multi-function large load carrier 3, oil tanker 125, passenger 6, passenger cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 17, roll-on/roll-off cargo 74, short-sea passenger 18, specialized tanker 2 Airports: total: 2,550 usable: 964 with permanent-surface runways: 565 with runways over 3,659 m: 19 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 275 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 426 Telecommunications: Russia is enlisting foreign help, by means of joint ventures, to speed up the modernization of its telecommunications system; NMT-450 analog cellular telephone networks are operational and growing in Moscow and St. Petersburg; expanded access to international E-mail service available via Sprint network; intercity fiberoptic cable installation remains limited; the inadequacy of Russian telecommunications is a severe handicap to the economy, especially with respect to international connections; total installed telephones 24,400,000, of which in urban areas 20,900,000 and in rural areas 3,500,000; of these, total installed in homes 15,400,000; total pay phones for long distant calls 34,100; telephone density is about 164 telephones per 1,000 persons (in 1992, only 661,000 new telephones were installed compared with 855,000 in 1991 and in 1992 the number of unsatisfied applications for telephones reached 11,000,000); international traffic is handled by an inadequate system of satellites, land lines, microwave radio relay and outdated submarine cables; this traffic passes through the international gateway switch in Moscow which carries most of the international traffic for the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States; a new Russian Raduga satellite will link Moscow and St. Petersburg with Rome from whence calls will be relayed to destinations in Europe and overseas; satellite ground stations - INTELSAT, Intersputnik, Eutelsat (Moscow), INMARSAT, Orbita; broadcast stations - 1,050 AM/FM/SW (reach 98.6% of population), 7,183 TV; receiving sets - 54,200,000 TVs, 48,800,000 radio receivers, 74,300,000 radio receivers with multiple speaker systems for program diffusion

@Russia, Defense Forces

Branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Forces, Air Defense Forces, Strategic Rocket Forces, Command and General Support, Security Forces Manpower availability: males age 15-49 37,706,825; fit for military service 29,623,429; reach military age (18) annually 1,098,307 (1994 est.) Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP

@Rwanda, Geography

Location: Central Africa, between Tanzania and Zaire Map references: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World Area: total area: 26,340 sq km land area: 24,950 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Maryland Land boundaries: total 893 km, Burundi 290 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km, Zaire 217 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none; landlocked International disputes: none Climate: temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible Terrain: mostly grassy uplands and hills; mountains in west Natural resources: gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), natural gas, hydropower Land use: arable land: 29% permanent crops: 11% meadows and pastures: 18% forest and woodland: 10% other: 32% Irrigated land: 40 sq km (1989 est.) Environment: current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion natural hazards: periodic droughts international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea Note: landlocked; predominantly rural population

@Rwanda, People

Population: 8,373,963 (July 1994 est.) note: the demographic estimates were prepared before civil strife, starting in April 1994, set in motion substantial and continuing population changes Population growth rate: 2.78% (1994 est.) Birth rate: 49.17 births/1,000 population (1994 est.) Death rate: 21.35 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.) Infant mortality rate: 118.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 40.25 years male: 39.33 years female: 41.21 years (1994 est.) Total fertility rate: 8.19 children born/woman (1994 est.) Nationality: noun: Rwandan(s) adjective: Rwandan Ethnic divisions: Hutu 90%, Tutsi 9%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1% Religions: Roman Catholic 65%, Protestant 9%, Muslim 1%, indigenous beliefs and other 25% Languages: Kinyarwanda (official), French (official), Kiswahili used in commercial centers Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 50% male: 64% female: 37% Labor force: 3.6 million by occupation: agriculture 93%, government and services 5%, industry and commerce 2% note: 49% of population of working age (1985)

@Rwanda, Government

Names: conventional long form: Republic of Rwanda conventional short form: Rwanda local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda local short form: Rwanda Digraph: RW Type: republic; presidential system note: a new, interim government formed in August 1992 to last until peace accord; political parties are working to form a multiethical broad-based transitonal government to lead them to elections in 1995 Capital: Kigali Administrative divisions: 10 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture in French; plural - NA, singular - prefegitura in Kinyarwanda); Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali, Ruhengeri Independence: 1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration) National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962) Constitution: 18 June 1991 Legal system: based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: universal adult at age NA Executive branch: chief of state: Interim President Dr. Theodore SINDIKUBWABO (since 8 April 1994, following the death of President Juvenal HABYARIMANA on 6 April 1994) the last election was held 19 December 1988 (next planned for 1995); results - the late President Juvenal HABYARIMANA was reelected head of government: Prime Minister Jean KAMBANDA, appointed by President SINDIKUBWABWO 8 April 1994 following the assassination of Agatha UWILINGIYIMANA on 7 April 1994 cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president Legislative branch: unicameral National Development Council: (Conseil National de Developpement) elections last held 19 December 1988 (new elections to be held in 1995); results - MRND was the only party; seats - (70 total) MRND 70 Judicial branch: Constitutional Court (consists of the Court of Cassation and the Council of State in joint session) Political parties and leaders: Republican National Movement for Democracy and Development (MRND); significant independent parties include: Democratic Republican Movement (MDR); Liberal Party (PL); Democratic and Socialist Party (PSD); Coalition for the Defense of the Republic (CDR); Party for Democracy in Rwanda (PADER); Christian Democratic Party (PDL) note: formerly a one-party state, Rwanda legalized independent parties in mid-1991; since then, at least 10 new political parties have registered Other political or pressure groups: Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), Alexis KANYARENGWE, Chairman (since 1990); Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA), the RPF military wing, Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME, commander Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Aloys UWIMANA chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: (202) 232-2882 FAX: (202) 232-4544 US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: (vacant) embassy: Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali telephone: [250] 75601 through 75603 FAX: [250] 72128 note: embassy closed on 10 April 1994 and personnel withdrawn because of severe civil strife and consequent danger for foreign nationals Flag: three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green with a large black letter R centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Guinea, which has a plain yellow band

@Rwanda, Economy

Overview: Almost 50% of GDP comes from the agricultural sector; coffee and tea make up 80-90% of total exports. The amount of fertile land is limited, however, and deforestation and soil erosion have created problems. The industrial sector in Rwanda is small, contributing only 17% to GDP. Manufacturing focuses mainly on the processing of agricultural products. The Rwandan economy remains dependent on coffee/tea exports and foreign aid. Weak international prices since 1986 have caused the economy to contract and per capita GDP to decline. A structural adjustment program with the World Bank began in October 1990. Ethnic-based insurgency in 1990-93 devastated wide areas of the north and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. A peace accord in mid-1993 temporarily ended most of the fighting, but massive resumption of civil warfare in April 1994 in the capital city Kigali has been taking thousands of lives and severely damaging short-term economic prospects National product: GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $6.8 billion (1993 est.) National product real growth rate: 1.3% (1992 est.) National product per capita: $800 (1993 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.5% (1992 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Budget: revenues: $350 million expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.) Exports: $66.6 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.) commodities: coffee 63%, tea, cassiterite, wolframite, pyrethrum partners: Germany, Belgium, Italy, Uganda, UK, France, US Imports: $259.5 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.) commodities: textiles, foodstuffs, machines and equipment, capital goods, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material partners: US, Belgium, Germany, Kenya, Japan External debt: $845 million (1991 est.) Industrial production: growth rate -2.2% (1991); accounts for 17% of GDP Electricity: capacity: 30,000 kW production: 130 million kWh consumption per capita: 15 kWh (1991) Industries: mining of cassiterite (tin ore) and wolframite (tungsten ore), tin, cement, agricultural processing, small-scale beverage production, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes Agriculture: accounts for almost 50% of GDP and about 90% of the labor force; cash crops - coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums); main food crops - bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; stock raising; self-sufficiency declining; country imports foodstuffs as farm production fails to keep up with a 2.8% annual growth in population Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $128 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $45 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $58 million note: in October 1990 Rwanda launched a Structural Adjustment Program with the IMF; since September 1991, the EC has given $46 million and the US $25 million in support of this program (1993) Currency: 1 Rwandan franc (RF) = 100 centimes Exchange rates: Rwandan francs (RF) per US$1 - 145.45 (December 1993), 133.35 (1992), 125.14 (1991), 82.60 (1990), 79.98 (1989) Fiscal year: calendar year

@Rwanda, Communications

Highways: total: 4,885 km paved: 460 km unpaved: gravel, improved earth 1,725 km; unimproved earth 2,700 km Inland waterways: Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft Airports: total: 8 usable: 7 with permanent-surface runways: 3 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 2 Telecommunications: telephone system does not provide service to the general public but is intended for business and government use; the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the prefectures by microwave radio relay; the remainder of the network depends on wire and high frequency radio; international connections employ microwave radio relay to neighboring countries and satellite communications to more distant countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 SYMPHONIE station in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service); broadcast stations - 1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV

@Rwanda, Defense Forces

Branches: Army (including Air Wing), Gendarmerie note: Rwanda plans to demobilize and reorganize with RPF elements during 1994 Manpower availability: males age 15-49 1,733,246; fit for military service 883,291 Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $37 million, 1.6% of GDP (1988 est.)

@Saint Helena

Header Affiliation: (dependent territory of the UK)

@Saint Helena, Geography

Location: Southern Africa, in the South Atlantic Ocean, 1,920 km west of Angola, about two-thirds of the way between South America and Africa Map references: Africa Area: total area: 410 sq km land area: 410 sq km comparative area: slightly more than 2.3 times the size of Washington, DC note: includes Ascension, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, Nightingale Island, and Tristan da Cunha Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 60 km Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm International disputes: none Climate: tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds Terrain: rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains Natural resources: fish; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns, no minerals Land use: arable land: 7% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 7% forest and woodland: 3% other: 83% Irrigated land: NA sq km Environment: current issues: NA natural hazards:

## active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha

international agreements: NA Note: Napoleon Bonaparte's place of exile and burial (the remains were taken to Paris in 1840); harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world

@Saint Helena, People

Population: 6,741 (July 1994 est.) Population growth rate: 0.31% (1994 est.) Birth rate: 9.64 births/1,000 population (1994 est.) Death rate: 6.55 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.) Infant mortality rate: 37.24 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.75 years male: 72.68 years female: 76.58 years (1994 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.14 children born/woman (1994 est.) Nationality: noun: Saint Helenian(s) adjective: Saint Helenian Ethnic divisions: NA Religions: Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic Languages: English Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1987) total population: 98% male: 97% female: 98% Labor force: 2,516 by occupation: professional, technical, and related workers 8.7%, managerial, administrative, and clerical 12.8%, sales people 8.1%, farmer, fishermen, etc. 5.4%, craftspersons, production process workers 14.7%, others 50.3% (1987)

@Saint Helena, Government

Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Helena Digraph: SH Type: dependent territory of the UK Capital: Jamestown Administrative divisions: 1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha* Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK) National holiday: Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen, 10 June 1989 (second Saturday in June) Constitution: 1 January 1989 Legal system: NA Suffrage: NA Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor A. N. HOOLE (since NA) cabinet: Executive Council Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council: elections last held October 1984 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (15 total, 12 elected) number of seats by party NA Judicial branch: Supreme Court Political parties and leaders: Saint Helena Labor Party; Saint Helena Progressive Party note: both political parties inactive since 1976 Member of: ICFTU Diplomatic representation in US: none (dependent territory of the UK) US diplomatic representation: none (dependent territory of the UK) Flag: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship

@Saint Helena, Economy