Andorra
Landlocked country in the east Pyrenees, bounded north by France and
south by Spain.
Government
Under the 1993 constitution, Andorra is described as an independent,
democratic, ` parliamentary´ co-principality, with full sovereignty
in the hands of the people, but retaining the Spanish and French
co-princes (the bishop of Urgel in Spain and the president of
France respectively) as joint heads of state with reduced, constitutionally
defined, powers. The co-princes are represented by permanent delegates,
the vicar general of the Urgel diocese, and the prefect of the
French département of Pyrénées- Orientales. There is a 28-member,
unicameral assembly, the General Council of the Valleys, to which
14 members are elected on a national list and 14 in seven dual-member
constituencies (parishes). There is an Executive Council headed
by a president, who is prime minister on the basis of support
in the assembly.
History
Co-princes have ruled Andorra since 1278.
Until 1970 only third-generation Andorran males had the vote;
now the franchise extends to all first- generation Andorrans of
foreign parentage aged 28 or over. The electorate is small in
relation to the total population, up to 70% of which consists
of foreign residents, who are demanding political and nationality
rights. Immigration, controlled by a quota system, is restricted
to French and Spanish nationals intending to work in Andorra.
Prior to 1993 the country had no formal constitution and all
motions and proposals had to be submitted to the permanent delegates
(representatives of the joint heads of state) for approval.
Emergence of democracy
A technically illegal political organization, the Democratic Party
of Andorra (PDA), was founded 1976, providing the basis for a
future democratic system. Oscar Ribas Reig became the country's
first prime minister 1981, and in 1982 an Executive Council, headed
by the prime minister, was appointed. This introduced a separation
between legislative and executive powers. Formal links were established
with the European Community July 1991. A new constitution was
adopted May 1993, giving the country virtual independence apart
from its external security, which remained the responsibility
of France and Spain.
Democratic elections
The first direct elections were held Dec 1993 and a coalition government
formed under the prime minister, Oscar Ribas Reig. Andorra became
a full member of the United Nations and the Council of Europe
during 1994. Reig's National Democratic Grouping (AND) coalition
lost the support of independents Dec 1994 and Marc Forne of the
Liberal Union (UL) replaced him. In the Feb 1997 general election
the UL held on to power, winning 18 of the 28 seats in the assembly.
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