GOVERNMENT
Country
name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands
Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK
Government type:
NA
Capital:
Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
Administrative divisions:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday:
Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)
Constitution:
introduced 30 August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised
5 March 1988
Legal system:
based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica
and The Bahamas
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1953), represented
by Governor Jim POSTON (since 16 December 2002)
head of government: Chief Minister Michael Eugene MISICK (since
15 August 2003)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex officio members
and five appointed by the governor from among the members of the
Legislative Council
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed
by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of
the majority party is appointed chief minister by the governor
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Council (19 seats of which 13 are popularly
elected; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 24 April 2003 (next to be held in 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 53.8%, PNP 46.2%;
seats by party - PDM 7, PNP 6; note - in by-elections held 7 August
2003, the PNP gained two seats for a majority of 8 seats; PDM
now has 5
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive
National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK]; United Democratic
Party or UDP [Wendal SWANN]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Flag description:
blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant
and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag;
the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and
cactus
