Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
8 regions (kraje, singular - kraj); Banskobystricky kraj,
Bratislavsky kraj, Kosicky kraj, Nitriansky kraj, Presovsky kraj,
Trenciansky kraj, Trnavsky kraj, Zilinsky kraj

Independence:
1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and
Slovakia)

National holiday:
Constitution Day, 1 September (1992)

Constitution:
ratified 1 September 1992, effective 1 January 1993; changed in
September 1998 to allow direct election of the president; amended
February 2001 to allow Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership

Legal system:
civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; legal code modified
to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal
theory

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Robert FICO (since 4 July 2006);
Deputy Prime Ministers Dusan CAPLOVIC, Robert KALINAK, Stefan
HARABIN, Jan MIKOLAJ (since 4 July 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of
the prime minister
elections: president elected by direct, popular vote for a five-year
term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 April and 17
April 2004 (next to be held April 2009); following National Council
elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a
majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the
president
election results: Ivan GASPAROVIC elected president in runoff;
percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1%

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)
elections: last held 17 June 2006 (next to be held 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - Smer 29.1%, SDKU 18.4%,
SNS 11.7%, SMK 11.7%, LS-HZDS 8.8%, KDH 8.3%; seats by party - Smer
50, SDKU 31, SNS 19, SMK 20, LS-HZDS 16, KDH 14

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); Special Court (judges