Government

Slovakia has just recently become a full member of the European Union and NATO but is also a parliamentary democracy and has been since 1993. There is a president and a prime minister. The Prime minister is usually the leader of the party with the most seats in parliament who, along with the president, chooses a cabinet. The president approves legislation but has little real power.

The president is elected by the people every five years (the minimum voting age is eighteen). The parliament is composed of one house of one hundred and fifty elected politicians called the Slovak National Council. Each representative is elected for a term of four years.

The most popular political parties are the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) and the Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK). There are other smaller parties
Including the Democratic union party and the Christian Democratic party. The country's eight regions are administered by officials chosen by the central government. The government has lately been pushing through reforms including privatisation, libralisation and incentives to foreign investment.

Economy

Slovakia's economy is currently undergoing a transition from heavy reliance on industry and agriculture to a more western style economy with a larger service sector. There are still issues with the country's structure but reforms are still being implemented. Real GDP is expected to grow to 4.5% in 2004 and grow to over 5% in 2005. Inflation is on average 7.8% in 2004 and expected to fall to 5% in 2005.

After the fall of communism in 1989 Slovakia has undergone a difficult process of privatisation of state owned enterprises. Due to the lack of modernisation, the state owned industries were incompetent in the western markets. With the aid of foreign investment into the country the Slovakian industry is gradually improving.

The unemployment rate in Slovakia has been quite high since the end of Communist rule in 2002 unemployment averaged 18.6 percent. The service sector employs 56 percent of the labor force. Some 38 percent works in industry, and 6 percent is employed in agriculture. Slovakia's main agricultural produce are Wheat, barley, maize, sugar beets, and potatoes, some tobacco is grown too. The farming of livestock, including pigs, cattle, sheep, and poultry, is also important. The main mineral products are copper, lead, zinc, manganese, iron, and lignite. During communism Slovakia became the center of Czechoslovakia’s weapons industry.

Manufactured products are ceramics,chemical products, machinery, petroleum products, steel and textiles The country's main imports are natural gas and oil, transportation equipment. Exports are mainly machinery, chemicals, steel, and weapons. The major trading partners are Czech republic, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Russia, Poland, Ukraine and the US.

Slovakia's source of energy comes mainly from hydroelectric power plants and a nuclear-power station at Jaslovské Bohunice. Slovakia’s tourism industry has grown since the end of Communist rule. Slovakia’s historic cities and numerous mountain ski resorts are popular tourist destinations.