pular vote to serve five-year terms unless the House is dissolved
earlier)

elections: House of Lords - no elections (some proposals for
further reform include elections); House of Commons - last held 7
June 2001 (next to be held by NA May 2006)

election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - Labor 412, Conservative and Unionist 166,
Liberal Democrat 52, other 29

note: in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Parliament
(because of unresolved disputes among existing parties, the transfer
of power from London to Northern Ireland came only at the end of
1999 and was rescinded in February 2000); in 1999 there were
elections for a new Scottish Parliament and a new Welsh Assembly

Judicial branch: House of Lords (highest court of appeal; several
Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life);
Supreme Courts of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (comprising
the Courts of Appeal, the High Courts of Justice, and the Crown
Courts); Scotland's Court of Session and Court of the Justiciary

Political parties and leaders: Conservative and Unionist Party
[William HAGUE]; Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Rev.
Ian PAISLEY]; Labor Party [Anthony (Tony) Blair]; Liberal Democrats
[Charles KENNEDY]; Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Ieuan Wyn JONES];
Scottish National Party or SNP [John SWINNEY]; Sinn Fein (Northern
Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP
(Northern Ireland) [John HUME]; Ulster Unionist Party (Northern
Ireland) [David TRIMBLE]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Campaign for Nuclear
Disarmament; Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers'
Union; Trades Union Congress

International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia
Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECA
(associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G-10,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council,
UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH,
UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Sir Christopher J. R. MEYER

chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Wash