election
last held August-September 1996 (next to be held in the fall of
2001); prime minister nominated by the president and approved by
Parliament

election results: Lennart MERI reelected president by an electoral
assembly after Parliament was unable to break a deadlock between
MERI and RUUTEL; percent of electoral assembly vote - Lennart MERI
61%, Arnold RUUTEL 39%

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 7 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2003)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Center Party 28, Union of Pro Patria (Fatherland League) 18, Reform
Party 18, Moderates 17, Country People's Party (Agrarians) 7,
Coalition Party 7, UPPE 6

Judicial branch: National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament
for life)

Political parties and leaders: Center Party or K [Edgar SAVISAAR,
chairman]; Christian People's Party [Aldo VINKEL]; Coalition Party
and Rural Union or KMU [Andrus OOBEL, chairman]; Estonian Democratic
Party (formerly Estonian Blue Party) [Jaan LAAS]; Estonian
Independence Party [leader NA]; Estonian National Democratic Party
or ENDP [leader NA]; Estonian Pensioners and Families Party [Mai
TREIAL]; Estonian Progressive Party [Andra VEIDEMANN]; Estonian
Republican Party [leader NA]; Estonian Social-Democratic Labor Party
[Tiit TOOMSALU]; Estonian Rural People's Union (1999 merger of
Estonian Country People's Party and the Estonian Rural Union) [Arvo
SIRENDI]; Party of Consolidation Today [leader NA]; People's Party
Moderates (1999 merger of People's Party and Moderates) [Andres
TARAND]; Reform Party or RE [Siim KALLAS, chairman]; Russian Party
in Estonia [Nikolai MASPANOV]; Russian Unity Party [Igor SEDASHEV];
Union of Pro Patria or Fatherland League (Isamaaliit) [Mart LAAR,
chairman]; United People's Party or UPPE [Viktor ANDREJEV, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO
(correspondent), ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNMIBH,
UNMIK, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Sven JURGENSON

chancery: 2131 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20