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Macedonia is a parliamentary republic with the president as the chief of state and the prime minister as the head of government. Macedonia became a democratic republic after gaining independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. The government headquarters for Macedonia are in Skopje. The government and administration in the country follow the constitution, the supreme law in the Republic. The constitution is important in regulating the activities of the government and the military. The government consists of three branches including the executive, independent judiciary, and the unicameral legislature.

The President Of Macedonia

The Macedonian president has little executive power. The president is elected by a two round system for a five-year term renewable only once. The president serves as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, appoints diplomatic representatives, and gives awards, honors, and pardons convicts. The president also works with the prime minister to decide on the cabinet ranks for the executive.

The Executive Branch Of The Government Of Macedonia

The government, consisting of the premier and the cabinet ministers is the executive branch of Macedonia. The prime minister is the head of government and the head of the executive who also appoints members of the cabinet. Cabinet ministers serve a four-year term after approval by the national assembly. The current executive is a coalition between the Socialist Party of Macedonia, the Democratic Union for Integration, the Party for the Movement of Turks in Macedonia, and the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM). The president appoints the prime minister for an unlimited term in office. The current prime minister is Zoran Zaev who was appointed after the resignation of Nikola Kljusev.

The Legislative Branch Of The Government Of Macedonia

The Assembly is the legislative branch of the Macedonian government with the responsibility of proposing and adopting laws. The unicameral assembly consists of 120 elected officials and three other members elected by majority votes by the diaspora community. Elections for the legislature are by proportional representation with members serving for four-year non-renewable terms. All political parties have representation in the assembly. The speaker heads the assembly. The Great Hall of the Macedonian Parliament in Skopje is the meeting place for the legislature where all sessions are held.

The Judicial Branch Of The Government Of Macedonia

The Macedonian court system has the Supreme Court as the highest court followed by the court of appeal and the basic courts. Also within the upper court system are the constitutional courts and the Republican judicial courts. A seven-member judicial council nominates 22 Supreme Court judges and the nine constitutional court judges while the assembly appoints them. Constitutional court judges serve for a maximum of nine years. Macedonian legal system is based on a civil law.

Foreign Relations Of Macedonia

Macedonia engages in diplomatic relations with the international community and is a member of some regional and international bodies. Among these bodies are the IMF, the Central European Initiative, WTO, La Francophonie, the European Union and the Council of Europe. Macedonia has diplomatic relations with over thirty countries including the US, the UK, Russia, Liberia, Tunisia, Sudan, Lebanon, and Georgia. Most of the countries recognize the country as the Republic of Macedonia as opposed to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.