day: Birthday of the Queen, 16 April (1940)

Constitution: 1849 was the original constitution; there was a
major overhaul 5 June 1953, allowing for a unicameral legislature
and a female chief of state

Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972); Heir
Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the monarch (born 26
May 1968)
head of government: Prime Minister Poul Nyrup RASMUSSEN (since 25
January 1993)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed
by the monarch

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Folketing (179
seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of
proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 11 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by
party--progovernment parties: Social Democrats 65, Socialist People's
Party 13, Radical Liberal Party 7, Unity Party 5; opposition:
Liberal Party 43, Conservative Party 17, Danish People's Party 13,
Center Democrats 8, Christian People's Party 4, Progress Party 4

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the
monarch for life

Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party [Poul

International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia
Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO,
G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, MTCR, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNMOT,
UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO,
ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Knud-Erik TYGESEN
chancery: 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Edward E. ELSON
embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen
mailing address: PSC 73, APO AE 09716

Flag description: red with a white cross that extends to the
edges of the flag; the vertical par