Turks and Caicos Islands: Government#

Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands abbreviation: TCI etymology: the Turks Islands are named after the Turk's cap cactus (native to the islands and appearing on the flag and coat of arms), while the Caicos Islands derive from the native term "caya hico" meaning "string of islands"
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK
Government type	parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK
Capital	Grand Turk (Cockburn Town) Grand Turk (Cockburn Town) geographic coordinates: 21 28 N, 71 08 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November
Administrative divisions	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday	Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)
Constitution	several previous; latest signed 7 August 2012, effective 15 October 2012 (Turks and Caicos Constitution Order 2011) (2016)
Legal system	mixed legal system of English common law and civil law
Citizenship	see United Kingdom
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor John FREEMAN (since 17 October 2016) head of government: Premier Rufus EWING (since 13 November 2012) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor from among members of the House of Assembly elections/appointments: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed premier by the governor
Legislative branch	description: unicameral House of Assembly (19 seats; 15 members in multi-seat constituencies and a single all-islands constituency directly elected by simple majority vote, 1 member nominated by the premier and appointed by the governor, 1 nominated by the opposition party leader and appointed by the governor, and 2 from the Turks and Caicos Islands Civic Society directly appointed by the governor; members serve 4-year terms) elections: last held on 9 November 2012 (next to be held in 2016) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - PNP 8, PDM 7
Judicial branch	highest resident court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and such number of other judges as determined by the governor); Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and 2 justices); note - appeals beyond the Supreme Court are referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court and Appeals Court judges appointed by the governor in accordance with the Judicial Service Commission, a 3-member body of high level judicial officials; Supreme Court judges appointed until mandatory retirement at age 65, but can be extended to age 70; Appeals Court judge tenure determined by individual terms of appointment subordinate courts: magistrates' courts
Political parties and leaders	People's Democratic Movement or PDM (Oswald SKIPPINGS) People's Progressive Party Progressive National Party or PNP (Rufus EWING)
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA
International organization participation	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), 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 colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and displays a conch shell, a spiny lobster, and Turk's cap cactus - three common elements of the islands' biota
National symbol(s)	conch shell, Turk's cap cactus
National anthem	name: "This Land of Ours" lyrics/music: Conrad HOWELL note: serves as a local anthem; as a territory of the UK, "God Save the Queen" is the official anthem (see United Kingdom)