San Marino Government - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of San Marino

conventional short form: San Marino

local long form: Repubblica di San Marino

local short form: San Marino

etymology: named after Saint MARINUS, who in A.D. 301 founded the monastic settlement around which the city and later the state of San Marino coalesced

Government type

parliamentary republic

Capital

name: San Marino (city)

geographic coordinates: 43 56 N, 12 25 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

etymology: named after Saint MARINUS, who in A.D. 301 founded a monastic settlement around which the city and later the state of San Marino coalesced

Administrative divisions

9 municipalities (castelli, singular - castello); Acquaviva, Borgo Maggiore, Chiesanuova, Domagnano, Faetano, Fiorentino, Montegiardino, San Marino Citta, Serravalle

Independence

3 September 301 (traditional founding date)

National holiday

Founding of the Republic (or Feast of Saint Marinus), 3 September (A.D. 301)

Constitution

history: San Marino’s principal legislative instruments consist of old customs (antiche consuetudini), the Statutory Laws of San Marino (Leges Statutae Sancti Marini), old statutes (antichi statute) from the1600s, Brief Notes on the Constitutional Order and Institutional Organs of the Republic of San Marino (Brevi Cenni sull’Ordinamento Costituzionale e gli Organi Istituzionali della Repubblica di San Marino) and successive legislation, chief among them is the Declaration of the Rights of Citizens and Fundamental Principles of the San Marino Legal Order (Dichiarazione dei Diritti dei Cittadini e dei Principi Fondamentali dell’Ordinamento Sammarinese), approved 8 July 1974

amendments: proposed by the Great and General Council; passage requires two-thirds majority Council vote; Council passage by absolute majority vote also requires passage in a referendum; Declaration of Civil Rights amended several times, last in 2019

Legal system

civil law system with Italian civil law influences

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of San Marino

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 30 years

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state: co-chiefs of state Captain Regent Alessandro SCARANO and Adele TONNINI (for the period 1 April 2023 - 1 October 2023)

head of government: Secretary of State for Foreign and Political Affairs Luca BECCARI (since 8 January 2020)

cabinet: Congress of State elected by the Grand and General Council

elections/appointments: co-chiefs of state (captains regent) indirectly elected by the Grand and General Council for a single 6-month term; election last held in March 2023; secretary of state for foreign and political affairs indirectly elected by the Grand and General Council for a single 5-year term; election last held on 28 December 2019 (next to be held by November 2024)

election results: Alessandro SCARANO and Adele TONNINI elected captains regent; percent of Grand and General Council vote - NA; Luca BECCARI (PDCS) elected secretary of state for foreign and political affairs; percent of Grand and General Council vote - NA

note: the captains regent preside over meetings of the Grand and General Council and its cabinet (Congress of State), which has 7 other members who are selected by the Grand and General Council; assisting the captains regent are 7 secretaries of state; the secretary of state for Foreign Affairs has some prime ministerial roles

Legislative branch

description: unicameral Grand and General Council or Consiglio Grande e Generale (60 seats; members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by list proportional representation vote in 2 rounds if needed; members serve 5-year terms)

elections: last held on 8 December 2019 (next to be held by 31 December 2024)

election results: percent of vote by coalition/party - PDCS 35%, Tomorrow in Movement coalition 25% (RETE Movement 18.3%, DML 6.7%), Liberia 16.7%, We for the Republic 13.3%, RF 10%; seats by coalition/party - PDCS 21, Tomorrow in Movement coalition 15 (RETE Movement 11, DML 4), Liberia 10, We for the Republic 8, RF 6; composition (as of September 2022) - men 40, women 20, percent of women 33.3%

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Council of Twelve or Consiglio dei XII (consists of 12 members); note - the College of Guarantors for the Constitutionality and General Norms functions as San Marino's constitutional court

judge selection and term of office: judges elected by the Grand and General Council from among its own to serve 5-year terms

subordinate courts: first instance and first appeal criminal, administrative, and civil courts; Court for the Trust and Trustee Relations; justices of the peace or conciliatory judges

Political parties and leaders

Domani - Modus Liberi or DML [Lorenzo Forcellini REFFI]
Free San Marino (Libera San Marino) or Libera [Luca BOSCHI]
Future Republic or RF [Mario VENTURINI]
I Elect for a New Republic
Party of Socialists and Democrats or PSD [Paride ANDREOLI]
RETE Movement [Gloria ARCANGELONI]
Sammarinese Christian Democratic Party or PDCS [Marco GATTI]
Socialist Party or PS [Alessandro BEVITORI]
Tomorrow in Movement coalition (includes RETE Movement, DML)
We for the Republic [Denise BRONZETTI]

International organization participation

CE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Schengen Convention (de facto member), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WHO, WIPO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Damiano BELEFFI (since 21 July 2017)

chancery: 327 E 50th Street, New York, NY 10022

telephone: [1] (212) 751-1234

FAX: [1] (212) 751-1436

email address and website:
smrassistant@gmail.com

Republic of San Marino Permanent Mission to the United Nations

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy: the United States does not have an Embassy in San Marino; the US Ambassador to Italy is accredited to San Marino, and the US Consulate General in Florence maintains day-to-day ties

Flag description

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and light blue with the national coat of arms superimposed in the center; the main colors derive from the shield of the coat of arms, which features three white towers on three peaks on a blue field; the towers represent three castles built on San Marino's highest feature, Mount Titano: Guaita, Cesta, and Montale; the coat of arms is flanked by a wreath, below a crown and above a scroll bearing the word LIBERTAS (Liberty); the white and blue colors are also said to stand for peace and liberty respectively

National symbol(s)

three peaks each displaying a tower; national colors: white, blue

National anthem

name: "Inno Nazionale della Repubblica" (National Anthem of the Republic)

lyrics/music: no lyrics/Federico CONSOLO

note: adopted 1894; the music for the lyric-less anthem is based on a 10th century chorale piece

National heritage

total World Heritage Sites: 1 (cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales: San Marino Historic Center and Mount Titano

NOTE: The information regarding San Marino on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of San Marino 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about San Marino 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.