; Parliament elected Lennart MERI
head of government: Acting Prime Minister Tiit VAHI (since NA March
1995); the president nominated and Parliament authorized the
candidate for prime minister
cabinet: Council of Ministers was appointed by the prime minister,
approved by Parliament

Legislative branch: unicameral
Parliament (Riigikogu): elections last held 5 March 1995 (next to be
held NA 1999); results - KMU 32.22%, RE 16.18%, K 14.17%, Pro Patria
and ERSP 7.85%, M 5.98%, Our Home is Estonia and Right-Wingers 5.0%;
seats - (101 total) KMU 41, RE 19, K 16, Pro Patria 8, Our Home is
Estonia 6, M 6, Right-Wingers 5

Judicial branch: National Court

Political parties and leaders: Coalition Party and Rural Union
(KMU), Tiit VAHI, chairman, made up of 4 parties: Coalition Party,
Country People's Party, Farmer's Assembly, and Pensioners' and
Families' League; Reform Party-Liberals (RE), Siim KALLAS, chairman;
Center Party (K), Edgar SAVISAAR, chairman; Union of Pro Patria or
Fatherland Alliance (Isamaa of Fatherland), Toivo JURGENSON,
chairman; National Independence Party (ERSP), Kelam TUNNE, chairman,
note - may have disappeared since the last election; Our Home is
Estonia made up of 2 parties: United Peoples Party and the Russian
People's Party of Estonia; United Peoples Party, Viktor ANDREJEV,
chairman; Russian People's Party of Estonia, Sergei KUZNETSOV,
chairman; Moderates (M) made up of 2 parties: Social Democratic
Party and Rural Center Party; Social Democratic Party, Eiki NESTOR,
chairman; Rural Center Party, Vambo KAAL, chairman; Right-Wingers,
Ulo NUGIS, chairman

International organization participation: BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE,
EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NACC,
OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WEU (associate partner),
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Toomas Hendrik ILVES
chancery: 2131 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101
FAX: [1] (202) 789-0471
consulate(s) general: New York

US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Lawrence P. TAYLOR
embassy: Kentmanni 20, Tallinn EE 0001
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [372] (6) 312-021
FAX: [372] (6) 312-025

Flag: pre-1940 flag restored by S