| Country name: |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Montserrat |
| Government type: |
NA |
| Capital: |
name: Plymouth
geographic coordinates: 16 42 N, 62 13 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
note: Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 because of volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brad |
| Administrative divisions: |
3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter |
| Independence: |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| National holiday: |
Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) |
| Constitution: |
effective 19 December 1989 |
| Legal system: |
English common law and statutory law |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Deborah BARNES-JONES (since 10 May 2004)
head of government: Chief Minister Lowell LEWIS (since 2 June 2006)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes chief minister |
| Legislative branch: |
unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms)
note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with attorney general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members
elections: last held 31 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - MCAP 36.1%, NPLM 29.4%, MDP 24.4%, independents 10.1%; seats by party - MCAP 4, NPLM 3, MDP 1, independents 1
note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a single constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible voters cast ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative Council |
| Judicial branch: |
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court) |
| Political parties and leaders: |
Montserrat Democratic Party or MDP [Lowell LEWIS]; Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Roselyn CASSELL-SEALY]; New People's Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International organization participation: |
Caricom, CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, 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 Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross |
