for Albanians (DPA), which is now a member
party of the government, is calling for a rewrite of the
constitution to declare ethnic Albanians a constituent national
group and allow for greater regional autonomy

Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of
legislative acts

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Boris TRAJKOVSKI (since
15 December 1999)

head of government: Prime Minister Ljubco GEORGIEVSKI (since 30
November 1998)

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, LDP, and DPA

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 14 November 1999 (next to be held NA October
2004); prime minister elected by parliament; election last held NA
November 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)

election results: Boris TRAJKOVSKI elected president on
second-round ballot; percent of vote - Boris TRAJKOVSKI 52.4%, Tito
PETKOVSKI 46.2%

Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly or Sobranje (120 seats - 85
members are elected by popular vote, 35 members come from lists of
candidates submitted by parties based on the percentage that parties
gain from the overall vote; all serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 18 October and 1 November 1998 (next to be
held NA 2002)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
VMRO-DPMNE 43, SDSM 27, PDP 14, DA 13, DPA 11, VMRO-VMRO 6, LDP 4,
SP 1, Roma Party 1

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Judicial Court of the
Republic; judges for both courts are elected by the Judicial Council

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Alternative or DA [Vasil
TUPURKOVSKI, president]; Democratic Party for Albanians or DPA
[Arben XHAFERI, president]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary
Organization - Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or
VMRO-DPMNE [Ljubcho GEORGIEVSKI, president]; Internal Macedonian
Revolutionary Organization-True Macedonian Reform Option or
VMRO-VMRO [Boris STOJMANOV]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Risto
GUSTERVO]; Party for Democratic Prosperity or PDP [Imeri IMERI,
president]; Social-Democratic Alliance of Macedonia or SDSM (former
Communist Party) [Branko CRVENKOVSKI, president]; Socialist Party of
Macedonia or SP [Ljubisav IVANOV, president]; Union of Romanies of
Macedonia or SRM [leader NA]

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