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Goverment of Singapore

Country Name:

  conventional long form: Republic of Singapore conventional short form: Singapore
Government Type:
  Republic within Commonwealth
Capital:
  Singapore
Administrative Divisions:
  none
Independence:
  9 August 1965 (from Malaysia)
National Holiday:
  National Day, 9 August (1965)
Constitution:
  3 June 1959, amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of Singapore Constitution)
Legal System :
  based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive Branch:
  chief of state: President ONG Teng Cheong (since 1 September 1993)
head of government:
Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 28 November 1990) and Deputy Prime Ministers LEE Hsien Loong (since 28 November 1990) and Tony TAN Keng Yam (since 1 August 1995)
cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the president, responsible to Parliament
elections:
president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 28 August 1993 (next to be held NA August 1999); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president; deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
election results:
ONG Teng Cheong elected president in the country's first popular election for president; percent of vote?ONG Teng Cheong 59%, CHUA Kim Yeow 41%
Legislative Branch:
  unicameral Parliament (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 2 January 1997 (next to be held by 2002)
election results:
percent of vote by party?PAP 65% (in contested constituencies), other 35%; seats by party?PAP 81, WP 1, SPP 1
Judicial Branch:
  Supreme Court, chief justice is appointed by the president with the advice of the prime minister, other judges are appointed by the president with the advice of the chief justice; Court of Appeals
Political Parties and Leaders:
  government: People's Action Party or PAP [GOH Chok Tong, secretary general]
opposition:
Singapore Democratic Party or SDP [CHEE Soon Juan]; Workers' Party or WP [J. B. JEYARETNAM]; National Solidarity Party or NSP [C. K. TAN]; Singapore People's Party or SPP [CHIAM See Tong]; Democratic Action Party [LIM Kit Siang, secretary general]
International Organization Participation:
  APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, Australia Group (observer), BIS, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNIKOM, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Flag Description:
  two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; near the hoist side of the red band, there is a vertical, white crescent (closed portion is toward the hoist side) partially enclosing five white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle

Updated On: 15.02.13