Short facts about the government of Man, Isle of

Country name:

conventional long form:  none conventional short form:  Isle of Man

Dependency status:

British crown dependency

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

Douglas

Administrative divisions:

there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections

Independence:

none (British crown dependency)

National holiday:

Tynwald Day, 5 July

Constitution:

unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act, 1961, does not embody the Manx Constitution

Legal system:

English common law and Manx statute

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state:  Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor His Excellency Sir Timothy DAUNT (since 27 October 1995) head of government:  Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 3 December 1996) cabinet:  Council of Ministers elections:  the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch for a five-year term; the Chief Minister is elected by the Tynwald; election last held 3 December 1996 (next to be held NA 2001) election results:  Donald GELLING elected chief minister by the Tynwald

Legislative branch:

bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (a 11-member body composed of the President of Tynwald, the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and 8 others named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections:  House of Keys - last held 21 November 1996 (next to be held NA November 2001) election results:  House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - independents 24

Judicial branch:

High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor)

Political parties and leaders:

there is no party system; members sit as independents

Political pressure groups and leaders:

none

International organization participation:

none

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (British crown dependency)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (British crown dependency)

Flag description:

red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used

Source: World Factbook