| Political Conditions - Andorra | | | | | | Andorra held national elections on April 24, 2005. The ruling Andorran Liberal Party (PLA) won the elections but lost the absolute majority it had attained in the 2001 elections. After 10 years in power, Cap de Govern and PLA leader Marc FornÈ stepped down as Cap de Govern. His replacement is Former Foreign Minister Albert Pintat, who comes from the same party. The center-right PLA went from 15 to 14 seats in the 28-seat Parliament, while the center-left Social Democratic Party (PS) doubled its representation from 6 to 12 seats. The remaining 2 seats are held by CDA-Segle-21, a union of two center-right parties which are likely to join in a coalition with PLA. Since the ratification of the constitution in 1993, four coalition governments have been formed. The Pintat governmentís principal goals are to address housing scarcity, modernize the countryís taxation system, and press forward with reforms required to remove Andorra from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) list of tax haven countries. There has been a redefinition of the qualifications for Andorran citizenship, a major issue in a country where only 35.7% of 78,549 are legal citizens. In 1995, a law to broaden citizenship was passed but citizenship remains hard to acquire, with only Andorran nationals being able to transmit citizenship automatically to their children. Lawful residents in Andorra may obtain citizenship after 25 years of residence. Children of residents may opt for Andorran citizenship after 18 if they have resided virtually all of their lives in Andorra. Mere birth on Andorran soil does not confer citizenship. Dual nationality is not permitted. Non-citizens are allowed to own only a 33% share of a company. Only after they have resided in the country for 20 years, will they be entitled to own 100% of a company. A proposed law to reduce the necessary years from 20 to 10 is pending approval in Parliament. By creating a modern legal framework for the country, the 1993 constitution has allowed Andorra to begin a shift from an economy based largely on tax-free shopping to one based on tourism and international banking and finance. Despite promising new changes, it is likely that Andorra will, at least for the short term, continue to confront a number of difficult issues arising from the large influx of foreign residents and the need to develop modern social and political institutions. In addition to questions of Andorran nationality and immigration policy, other priority issues will include dealing with housing scarcities and speculation in real state, developing the tourist industry, defining its relationship with the European Union, and reforming the investment law to allow up to 100% foreign ownership in activities and sectors considered strategic. | | | Principal Government Officials | | | Co-Prince--Jacques Chirac, President of France Co-Prince--Joan Enric Vives i Sicilia, Bishop of Seu d'Urgell, Spain Head of Government--Albert Pintat Sindic General--Joan Gabriel Charge díAffaires to the United Nations--Jelena Pia-Comella (also accredited as representative to the U.S. Government) |
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