Part 506

Executive branch: chief of state: President Kiro GLIGOROV (since 27 January 1991) head of government: Prime Minister Branko CRVENKOVSKI (since 4 September 1992) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the majority vote of all the deputies in the Assembly; note - after the withdrawal of the Liberal Party (LP) from the ruling coalition in early 1996, the Council of Ministers was reorganized without LP participation elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 16 October 1994 (next to be held NA 1999) election results: Kiro GLIGOROV elected president; percent of vote - NA

Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly or Sobranje (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 16 and 30 October 1994 (next to be held NA November 1998) election results : percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SDSM 58, LP 29, SP 8, PDP 10, NDP 4, independents 7, other 4; note - since October 1994 elections, some members of the Assembly have changed their party affiliation; the seating as of January 1997 is as follows: SDSM 61, LP 27, SP 6, PDP 11, NDP 2, PDPA 5, independents 3, other 5

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court, judges are elected by the Judicial Council; Judicial Court of the Republic, judges are elected by the Judicial Council

Political parties and leaders: Social-Democratic Alliance of Macedonia or SDSM (former Communist Party) [Branko CRVENKOVSKI, president]; Party for Democratic Prosperity or PDP [Abdurahman ALITI, president]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Ilijas HALIMI, president]; Liberal Party or LP [Stojan ANDOV, president]; Socialist Party of Macedonia or SP [Ljubislav IVANOV-ZINGO, president]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization - Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or VMRO-DPMNE [Ljupco GEORGIEVSKI, president]; Democratic Party or DP [Petar GOSEV, president]; Party for Democratic Prosperity of Albanians or PDPA [Arben XHAFFERI, president]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Movement for All Macedonian Action or MAAK; Democratic Party of Serbs; Democratic Party of Turks; Party for Democratic Action (Slavic Muslim)

International organization participation: CCC, CE, CEI, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NACC, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ljubica Z. ACEVSKA chancery: 3050 K Street, NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: (202) 337 3063 FAX: (202) 337 3093

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher Robert HILL (18 July 1996) embassy: Ilindenska BB, 9100 Skopje mailing address: American Embassy Skopje, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7120 (pouch) telephone : (91) 116-180 FAX: (91) 117-103

Flag description: a rising yellow sun with 8 rays extending to the edges of the red field

Economy

Economy - overview: The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, although the poorest republic in the former Yugoslav federation, can meet basic food and energy needs through its own agricultural and coal resources. The economy slowly rebounded in 1996 after years of recession. Continued recovery depends on Macedonia's ability to redevelop trade ties with Greece and Serbia and Montenegro; as well as on Skopje's continued commitment to economic liberalization. The economy depends on outside sources for all of its oil and gas and most of its modern machinery and parts. An important supplement of GDP is the remittances from thousands of Macedonians working in Germany and other West European nations.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $2 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 1.1% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $960 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 24% industry: 44% services : 32%

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 5% (1996 est.)

Labor force: total: 591,773 (June 1994) by occupation: manufacturing and mining 40% (1992)

Unemployment rate: 38% (1996 est.); note - many employed workers are, in fact, furloughees

Budget: revenues : $1.06 billion expenditures: $1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996 est.)

Industries: coal, metallic chromium, lead, zinc, ferronickel, textiles, wood products, tobacco

Industrial production growth rate: 3.4% (1996 est.)

Electricity - capacity: 1.38 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production: 5.22 billion kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 2,408 kWh (1995 est.)

Agriculture - products: rice, tobacco, wheat, corn, millet, cotton, sesame, mulberry leaves, citrus, vegetables; beef, pork, poultry, mutton

Exports: total value: $900 million (1996 est.) commodities: food, beverage, tobacco 17.0%, machinery and transport equipment 13.3%, other manufactured goods 58% partners : Bulgaria, other former Yugoslav republics, Germany, Italy

Imports: total value: $1.4 billion (1996 est.) commodities: machinery and equipment 19%, chemicals 14%, fuels 12% partners: other former Yugoslav republics, Germany, Bulgaria, Italy, Austria

Debt - external: $1.2 billion (1996 est.)