 Country name:
conventional long form: Slovak Republic conventional short form:Slovakia local long form:Slovenska republika local short form:Slovensko
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name:Bratislavageographic coordinates:48 09 N, 17 07 E time difference:UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC,. during Standard Time) daylight saving time:+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
8 regions (kraje, singular - kraj); Banskobystricky, Bratislavsky, Kosicky, Nitriansky, Presovsky, Trenciansky, Trnavsky, Zilinsky
Independence:
1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)
National holiday:
Constitution Day, 1 September (1992)
Constitution:
several previous (preindependence); latest passed by legislature 1 September 1992, signed 3 September 1992, effective 1 October 1992; amended several times, last in 2011 (2011)
Legal system:
civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; note - legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal system
International law organization participation:
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:President Andrej KISKA (since 15 June 2014)head of government:Prime Minister Robert FICO (since 4 April 2012); Deputy Prime Ministers Robert KALINAK, Peter KAZIMIR, Miroslav LAJCAK (since 4 April 2012), Lubomir VAZNY (since 26 November 2012) cabinet:Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections:president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 15 and 29 March 2014 (next to be held in March 2019); following National Council elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the president election results:Andrej KISKA elected president in runoff; percent of vote - Andrej KISKA 59.4%, Robert FICO 40.6%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or Narodna Rada Slovenskej Republiky (150 seats; members elected on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)elections:last held on 10 March 2012 (next to be held in 2016) election results:percent of vote by party - Smer-SD 44.4%, KDH 8.8%, OLaNO 8.6%, Most-Hid 6.9%, SDKU-DS 6.1%, SaS 5.9%, other 19.3%; seats by party - Smer-SD 83, KDH 16, OLaNO 16, Most-Hid 13, SDKU-DS 11, SaS 11
Judicial branch:
highest court(s):Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic (consists of 78 judges - as of 2003 - organized into criminal, civil, commercial, and administrative divisions with 3- and 5-judge panels; Constitutional Court (consists of 13 judges)judge selection and term of office:Supreme Court judge candidates proposed by the Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic, a 17-member independent body to include the Supreme Court chief justice and presidential and governmental appointees; judges appointed by the president for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; Constitutional Court judges nominated by the National Council of the Republic and appointed by the president; judges appointed for 12-year terms subordinate courts:regional and district civil courts; Higher Military Court; military district courts; Court of Audit
| | Political parties and leaders:
Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOSConfederation of Trade Unions or KOZ Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia or ZPS Federation of Employers' Associations of the Slovak Republic Medical Trade Association or LOZ National Union of Employers or RUZ Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry or SOPK The Business Alliance of Slovakia or PAS
International organization participation:
Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission:Ambassador Peter KMEC (since 17 September 2012)chancery:3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone:[1] (202) 237-1054 FAX:[1] (202) 237-6438 consulate(s) general:New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:Ambassador Theodore SEDGWICK (since 4 July 2010)embassy:Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava mailing address:P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava telephone:[421] (2) 5443-3338 FAX:[421] (2) 5441-8861
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red derive from the Pan-Slav colors; the Slovakian coat of arms (consisting of a red shield bordered in white and bearing a white double-barred cross of St. Cyril and St. Methodius surmounting three blue hills) is centered over the bands but offset slightly to the hoist side
National symbol(s):
double-barred cross (Cross of St. Cyril and St. Methodius) surmounting three peaks
National anthem:
name:'Nad Tatrou sa blyska' (Lightning Over the Tatras)
lyrics/music:Janko MATUSKA/traditional note:adopted 1993, in use since 1844; the anthem's music is based on the Slovak folk song 'Kopala studienku' |