Andorra Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: Principality of Andorra

Type· unique co-principality under formal sovereignty of President of France and Spanish Bishop of Seo de Urgel, who are represented locally by officials called verguers

Capital: Andorra la Vella

Political subdivisions: 7 districts

Legal system: based on French and Spanish civil codes; Plan of Reform adopted 1866 serves as constitution; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Branches: legislative (General Council of the Valleys) consisting of 28 members; executive—syndic (manageri and a deputy subsyndic chosen by General Council; judiciary chosen by Co-princes who appoint two civil judges, a judge of appeals, and two batlles (court prosecutors); final appeal to the Supreme Court of Andorra at Perpignan, France, or to the Ecclesiastical Court of the Bishop of Seo de Urgel, Spain

Government leaders: head of state—Francois MITTERRAND (President of France; since 1981) and Juan Marti ALANIS (Bishop of Seo de Urgel, Spain; since 1971), Co-Princes, Syndic—Francesc CERQUEDA Pasquet (since 1982); Subsyndic—Josep Maria MAS Pons (since 1982); head of government—Josep P1NTAT (Chief Executive; since 1986)

Suffrage: those of 21 or over who are third-generation Andorrans can vote for General Council members

Elections: General Council chosen every four years; last election December 1981

Political parties and leaders: political parties not yet legally recognized; traditionally no political parties but partisans for particular independent candidates for the General Council on the basis of competence, personality, and orientation toward Spain or France; various small pressure groups developed in 1972; first formal political party, Andorran Democratic Association, was formed in 1976 and reorganized in 1979 as Andorran Democratic Party

Communists: negligible

Member of: UNESCO

NOTE: The information regarding Andorra on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Andorra 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Andorra 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.