<item><hi format=bold>Independence:</hi> 17 September 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
<item><hi format=bold>National holiday:</hi> NA
<item><hi format=bold>Constitution:</hi> adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991
<item><hi format=bold>Legal system:</hi> based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
<item><hi format=bold>Suffrage:</hi> 18 years of age; universal
<item><hi format=bold>Executive branch:</hi>
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<item>• <hi format=ital>chief of state:</hi> President Kiro GLIGOROV (since 27 January 1991); election last held 27 January 1991 (next to be held NA); results—Kiro GLIGOROV was elected by the Assembly
<item>• <hi format=ital>head of government:</hi> Prime Minister Branko CRVENKOVSKI (since 4 September 1992), Deputy Prime Ministers Jovan ANDONOV (since NA March 1991), Risto IVANOV (since NA), and Becir ZUTA (since NA March 1991)
<item>• <hi format=ital>cabinet:</hi> Council of Ministers; elected by the majority vote of all the deputies in the Sobranje
<item><hi format=bold>Assembly (Sobranje):</hi> elections last held 11 and 25 November and 9 December 1990 (next to be held November 1994); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(120 total) VMRO-DPMNE 32, SDSM 29, PDPM 23, SRSM 19, SPM 4, DP 4, SJM 2, others 7
<item><hi format=bold>Judicial branch:</hi> Constitutional Court, Judicial Court of the Republic
<item><hi format=bold>Political parties and leaders:</hi> Social-Democratic Alliance of Macedonia (SDSM; former Communist Party), Branko CRVENKOVSKI, president; Party for Democratic Prosperity (PDPM); National Democratic Party (PDP), Ilijas HALINI, president; Alliance of Reform Forces of Macedonia—Liberal Party (SRSM-LP), Stojan ANDOV, president; Socialist Party of Macedonia (SPM), Kiro POPOVSKI, president; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization—Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity (VMRO-DPMNE), Ljupco GEORGIEVSKI, president; Party of Yugoslavs in Macedonia (SJM), Milan DURCINOV, president; Democratic Party (DP), Petal GOSEV, president
<item><hi format=bold>Other political or pressure groups:</hi> Movement for All Macedonian Action (MAAK); Democratic Party of Serbs; Democratic Party of Turks; Party for Democratic Action (Slavic Muslim)
<item><hi format=bold>Member of:</hi> CE (guest), CSCE (observer), EBRD, ECE, ICAO, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), ITU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
<item><hi format=bold>Diplomatic representation in US:</hi> the US recognized The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on 9 February 1994
<item><hi format=bold>US diplomatic representation:</hi> the US recognized The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on 9 February 1994
<item><hi format=bold>Flag:</hi> 16-point gold sun (Vergina, Sun) centered on a red field