tion of the state
of Bangladesh

National holiday:

Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date
of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is Victory Day
and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh

Constitution:

4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended following
coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended many times

Legal system:

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002)
note: the country has a caretaker government until a general
election is held; Iajuddin AHMED remains as President and Minister
of Defense, and all other Cabinet portfolios are held by Caretaker
Advisers (CAs); the Chief CA, Fakhruddin AHMED, is roughly
equivalent to a prime minister
elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year
term (eligible for a second term); election scheduled for 16
September 2002 was not held since Iajuddin AHMED was the only
presidential candidate; he was sworn in on 6 September 2002 (next
election NA); following legislative elections, the leader of the
party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister
by the president
election results: Iajuddin AHMED declared president-elect by the
Election Commission; he ran unopposed as president; percent of
National Parliament vote - NA

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected
by popular vote from single territorial constituencies; members
serve five-year terms; note - parliament not in session during the
extended caretaker regime
elections: last held 1 October 2001 (the scheduled January 2007
election has been postponed until 29 December 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance
partners 41%, AL 40%, other 19%; seats by party - BNP 193, AL 58, JI
17, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 2, JP (Manzur) 4, other 12; note -
the election of October 2001 brought to power a majority BNP
government aligned with three other smaller parties - JI, IOJ, and
Jatiya Party (Manzur)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by
the president)

Political parties and leaders:

Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or
BCP [Manjurul A. KHAN]; Bangladesh Nati