!!!Niue: Government
||Country name|''conventional long form'': none \\ ''conventional short form'': Niue \\ ''former'': Savage Island \\ ''etymology'': the origin of the name is obscure; in Niuean, the word supposedly translates as "behold the coconut" \\  \\ ''__note__'': pronunciation falls between nyu-way and new-way, but not like new-wee \\ 
||Dependency status|self-governing in free association with New Zealand since 1974; Niue fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense; however, these responsibilities confer no rights of control and are only exercised at the request of the Government of Niue
||Government type|self-governing parliamentary democracy (Fouo Ekepule) in free association with New Zealand
||Capital|Alofi[{GoogleMap location='Alofi' zoom='6'}] \\ ''geographic coordinates'': 19 01 S, 169 55 W \\ ''time difference'': UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) \\ 
||Administrative divisions|none; note - there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 14 villages at the second order
||Independence|19 October 1974 (Niue became a self-governing parliamentary government in free association with New Zealand)
||National holiday|Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)
||Constitution|several previous (New Zealand colonial statutes); latest 19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act 1974); amended 1992, 2007 (2016)
||Legal system|English common law
||Suffrage|18 years of age; universal
||Executive branch|''chief of state'': Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General of New Zealand Lt. Gen. Sir Jerry MATEPARAE (since 31 August 2011); the UK and New Zealand are represented by New Zealand High Commissioner Ross ARDEN (since February 2014) \\ ''head of government'': Premier Toke TALAGI (since 18 June 2008) \\ ''cabinet'': Cabinet chosen by the premier \\ ''elections/appointments'': the monarchy is hereditary; premier indirectly elected by the Legislative Assembly for a 3-year term; election last held on 24 April 2014 (next to be held in 2017) \\ ''election results'': Toke TALAGI reelected premier; Legislative Assembly vote - Toke TALAGI (independent) 12, Stanley KALAUNI 8 \\ 
||Legislative branch|''description'': unicameral Assembly or Fono Ekepule (20 seats; 14 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 6 directly elected from the National Register or "common roll" by majority vote; members serve 3-year terms) \\ ''elections'': last held on 12 April 2014 (next to be held in 2017) \\ ''election results'': percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - 20 independents \\ 
||Judicial branch|''highest resident court(s)'': Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and up to 3 judges); note - the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) is the final appeal court beyond the Niue Court of Appeal \\ ''judge selection and term of office'': Niue chief justice appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the Cabinet and tendered by the premier; other judges appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the Cabinet and tendered by the chief justice and the minister of justice; judges serve until age 68 \\ ''subordinate courts'': High Court \\  \\ ''__note__'': Niue is a participant in the Pacific Judicial Development Program, which is designed to build governance and the rule of law in 15 Pacific island countries \\ 
||Political parties and leaders|Alliance of Independents or AI \\ Niue People's Action Party or NPP (Young VIVIAN)
||Political pressure groups and leaders|NA
||International organization participation|ACP, AOSIS, FAO, IFAD, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
||Diplomatic representation in the US|none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand)
||Diplomatic representation from the US|none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand)
||Flag description|yellow with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the flag of the UK bears five yellow five-pointed stars - a large star on a blue disk in the center and a smaller star on each arm of the bold red cross; the larger star stands for Niue, the smaller stars recall the Southern Cross constellation on the New Zealand flag and symbolize links with that country; yellow represents the bright sunshine of Niue and the warmth and friendship between Niue and New Zealand
||National symbol(s)|yellow, five-pointed star; national color: yellow
||National anthem|''name'': "Ko e Iki he Lagi" (The Lord in Heaven) \\ ''lyrics/music'': unknown/unknown, prepared by Sioeli FUSIKATA \\  \\ ''__note__'': adopted 1974 \\