nce: 26 May 1966 (from UK)

National holiday: Republic Day, 23 February (1970)

Constitution: 6 October 1980

Legal system: based on English common law with certain admixtures of
Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11
August 1999); note - assumed presidency after resignation of President
JAGAN head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since NA December
1997) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president,
responsible to the legislature elections: president elected by the
majority party in the National Assembly following legislative elections,
which must be held at least every five years; elections last held 19
March 2001 (next to be held by March 2006); prime minister appointed
by the president election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected;
percent of legislative vote - NA%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (68 seats, 65 elected
by popular vote, 1 elected Speaker of the National Assembly, and 2
nonvoting members appointed by the president; members serve five-year
terms) elections: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PPP/C 34, PNC 27, GAP and WPA 2, ROAR 1, TUF 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature; Judicial Court of Appeal;
High Court

Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Guyana or AFG (includes
Guyana Labor Party or GLP and Working People's Alliance or WPA) [Rupert
ROOPNARAINE]; Guyana Action Party or GAP [Paul HARDY]; Guyana Labor Party
or GLP [leader NA]; People's National Congress or PNC [Hugh Desmond
HOYTE]; People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Bharrat JAGDEO];
Rise, Organize, and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; The United Force or TUF
[Manzoor NADIR]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert ROOPNARAINE]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Civil Liberties Action Committee
or CLAC; Guyana Council of Indian Organizations or GCIO; Trades Union
Congress or TUC note: the GCIO and the CLAC are small and active but
not well organized

International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB,
ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS,
OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambass