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: presidency vacant

Legislative branch: unicameral National Council of the Slovak
Republic or Narodna Rada Slovensky Repubiky (150 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 25-26 September 1998 (next to be held NA
September 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party--HZDS 27%, SDK 16.3%, SDL
14.7%, SMK 9.1%, SNS 9.1%, SOP 8%; seats by party--governing
coalition 93 (SDK 42, SDL 23, SMK 15, SOP 13), opposition 57 (HZDS
43, SNS 14)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are elected by the
National Council; Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders: Movement for a Democratic Slovakia
Hungarian Coalition or SMK (includes MKDH, MOS, and Coexistence)
LUPTAK, chairman]; Social Democratic Party of Slovakia or SSDS
chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Party of Entrepreneurs and
Businessmen of Slovakia; Christian Social Union; Confederation of
Trade Unions or KOZ; Metal Workers Unions or KOVO and METALURG;
Association of Employers of Slovakia; Association of Towns and
Villages or ZMOS

International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS,
BSEC (observer), CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU
(applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUA, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Martin BUTORA
chancery: (temporary) Suite 250, 2201 Wisconsin Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20007

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ralph R. JOHNSON
embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava
mailing address: use embassy street address

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top),
blue, and red superimposed with the Slovak cross in a shield
centered on the hoist side; the cross is white centered on a
background of red and blue

Economy

Economy--overview: Slovakia, continuing the difficult transition
from a centrally controlled economy to a modern market-oriented
economy, begins 1999 with clou