f government: Prime Minister Tiit VAHI (acting since NA March
1995; confirmed 17 April 1995)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister,
approved by Parliament
elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; if he
or she does not secure two-thirds of the votes after 3 rounds of
balloting, then an electoral assembly (made up of Parliament plus
members of local governments) elects the president, choosing between
the two candidates with the largest percentage of votes; election last
held August-September 1996 (next to be held fall 2001); prime minister
nominated by the president and approved by Parliament
election results: Lennart MERI elected president by an electoral
assembly after Parliament was unable to break a deadlock between MERI
and RUUTEL; percent of electoral assembly vote - Lennert MERI 61%,
Arnold RUUTEL 39%

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections : last held 5 March 1995 (next to be held NA 1999)
election results: percent of vote by party - KMU 32.22%, RE 16.18%, K
14.17%, Pro Patria and ERSP 7.85%, M 5.98%, Our Home is Estonia and
Right-Wingers 5.0%; seats by party - KMU 41, RE 19, K 16, Pro Patria
8, Our Home is Estonia 6, M 6, Right-Wingers 5

Judicial branch: National Court

Political parties and leaders: Coalition Party and Rural Union or KMU
[Tiit VAHI, chairman] made up of 4 parties: Coalition Party, Country
People's Party/Farmer's Assembly, Rural Union, and Pensioners' and
Families' League; Reform Party-Liberals or RE [Siim KALLAS, chairman];
Center Party or K [Edgar SAVISAAR, chairman]; Union of Pro Patria or
Fatherland League (Isamaa) [Toivo JURGENSON, chairman]; National
Independence Party or ERSP [Kelam TUNNE, chairman]; Our Home is
Estonia made up of 2 parties: United Peoples Party and the Russian
People's Party of Estonia; United Peoples Party [Viktor ANDREJEV,
chairman]; Russian Party of Estonia [Nikolai MASPANOV, chairman];
Moderates or M made up of 2 parties: Social Democratic Party and Rural
Center Party; Social Democratic Party [Eiki NESTOR, chairman]; Rural
Center Party [Vambo KAAL, chairman]; Right-Wingers [Ulo NUGIS,
chairman]; Republican Conservative [Vootele HANSEN];
Development/Progressive Party [Andra VEIDEMANN, chairwoman], note -
party was created by defectors from Center Party in late spring 1996,
now holds 6 or 7 seats in Parliament

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