National holiday: National Day, 1 December (1958) (proclamation of the
republic)

Constitution: passed by referendum 29 December 1994; adopted 7 January
1995

Legal system: based on French law

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ange-Felix PATASSE (since 22 October 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Anicet Georges DOLOGUELE (since 4
January 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 19 September 1999 (next to be held NA 2005); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: Ange-Felix PATASSE reelected president; percent of
vote - Ange-Felix PATASSE 51.63%, Andre KOLINGBA 19.38%, David DACKO
11.15%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (109 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms; note - there were 85 seats in the National Assembly
before the 1998 election)
elections: last held 22-23 November and 13 December 1998 (next to be
held NA 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - MLPC 43%, RDC 18%, MDD
9%, FPP 6%, PSD 5%, ADP 4%, PUN 3%, FODEM 2%, PLD 2%, UPR 1%, FC 1%,
independents 6%; seats by party - MLPC 47, RDC 20, MDD 8, FPP 7, PSD
6, ADP 5, PUN 3, FODEM 2, PLD 2, UPR 1, FC 1, independents 7; note -
results of election are being contested
note: the National Assembly is advised by the Economic and Regional
Council or Conseil Economique et Regional; when they sit together they
are called the Congress or Congres

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme, judges appointed by
the president; Constitutional Court, judges appointed by the president

Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Democracy and Progress or
ADP ; Central African Democratic Assembly or RDC [Andre
KOLINGBA]; Civic Forum or FC ; Democratic
Forum or FODEM ; Liberal Democratic Party or PLD
; Movement for Democracy and Development or MDD
; Movement for the Liberation of the Central African
People or MLPC ;
Patriotic Front for Progress or FPP ; People's Union for
the Republic or UPR ; National Unity Party or PUN
; Social Democratic Party or PSD

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC,
CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC
(observer), OPCW, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO,
WIPO, WMO,