Montserrat

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Introduction - Montserrat:
Location - Montserrat:
People - Montserrat:
Government - Montserrat:
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Montserrat

Government type	NA

Capital	name: Plymouth geographic coordinates: 16 42 N, 62 13 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 because of volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate in the Carrs Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat

Administrative divisions	3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter

Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday	Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)

Constitution	effective 19 December 1989

Legal system	English common law and statutory law

Suffrage	18 years of age; universal

Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Deborah BARNES-JONES (since 10 May 2004) head of government: Chief Minister Lowell LEWIS (since 2 June 2006) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes chief minister

Legislative branch	unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms) note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with attorney general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members elections: last held 31 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - MCAP 36.1%, NPLM 29.4%, MDP 24.4%, independents 10.1%; seats by party - MCAP 4, NPLM 3, MDP 1, independents 1 note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a single constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible voters cast ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative Council

Judicial branch	Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court)

Political parties and leaders	Montserrat Democratic Party or MDP [Lowell LEWIS]; Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Roselyn CASSELL-SEALY]; New Peoples Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE]

Political pressure groups and leaders	NA

International organization participation	Caricom, CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU

Diplomatic representation in the us	none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the us	none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross

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