es

Legal system: based on English law and customary laws indigenous to
local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state : President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (inaugurated 29 March
1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (inaugurated 29 March
1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet : Ministers of State appointed by the president with the
approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible
to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election held 26-27 February 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); note -
president's tenure of office is limited to 2 five-year terms
election results : Ahmad Tejan KABBAH elected president; percent of
popular vote - NA

Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives (80 seats, 68
elected, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections;
members serve NA-year terms)
elections : last held NA February 1996 (next to be held NA)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SLPP
27, UNPP 17, PDP 12, APC 5, NUP 4, DCP 3; note - first elections since
the former House of Representatives was shut down by the military coup
of 29 April 1992

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: 15 parties registered for the February
1996 elections; National Peoples Party or NPP [Andrew TURAY];
Democratic Center Party or DCP [Abu KOROMA]; Peoples Progressive Party
or PPP [Edward KAMARA, chairman]; Coalition for Progress Party or CPP
[Geredine WILLIAMS-SARHO]; National Unity Movement or NUM; United
National Peoples Party or UNPP; Peoples Democratic Party or PDP
[Thaimu BANGURA, chairman]; All Peoples Congress or APC [S. A. T.
KOROMA, chairman]; National Republican Party or NRP; Social Democratic
Party or SDP; Peoples National Convention or PNC [I. B. KARGBO,
chairman]; National Unity Party or NUP [A. O. D. GEORGE, chairman];
Sierra Leone Peoples Party or SLPP [Paul DUNBAR, chairman]; National
Democratic Alliance or NDA; National Alliance for Democracy Party or
NADP

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC,
ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC,