president in runoff;
percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1%;
Mikulas DZURINDA reelected prime minister October 2002

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or Narodna Rada
Slovenskej Republiky (150 seats; members are elected on the basis of
proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - HZDS-LS 19.5%, SDKU
15.1%, SMER 13.5%, SMK 11.2%, KDH 8.3%, ANO 8%, KSS 6.3%; seats by
party - governing coalition 69 (SDKU 22, SMK 20, KDH 15, ANO 12),
opposition 81 (HZDS 26, Smer 25, KSS 9, Free Forum 6, People's Union
5, and independents 10)
elections: last held 20-21 September 2002 (next to be held NA
September 2006)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Council);
Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from group of
nominees approved by the National Council)

Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Movement or KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Direction
(Smer) [Robert FICO]; Free Forum [Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Movement for
Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA]; Movement for a Democratic
Slovakia-People's Party or HZDS-LS [Vladimir MECIAR]; New Citizens
Alliance or ANO [Pavol RUSKO]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or
SMK [Bela BUGAR]; People's Union or LU [Gustav KRAJCI]; Slovak
Communist Party or KSS [Jozef SEVC]; Slovak Democratic and Christian
Union or SDKU [Mikulas DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS
[Peter SULOVSKY]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Association of Employers of Slovakia; Association of Towns and
Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of Trade Unions or KOZ; Metal
Workers Unions or KOVO and METALURG

International organization participation:
Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new
member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM
(guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN,
UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU, WCL,
WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Rastislav KACER
chancery: 3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
FAX: [1] (202) 237-6438
telephone: [1] (202) 237-1054

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Amba