Holy See: Government

Index of Economic Freedom

Country Risk Rating

Government Branches

	Main Powers	Election Process	Election Cycle 1
Executive	The president of the commission can enact decrees for the implementation of legal provisions and regulations and, in times of urgent necessity, enact decrees that have the force of law if they are confirmed by the commission within ninety days. Although the Pontifical Swiss Guard is not governed by the Vatican City State (VCS), the president of the commission has access to the guard if needed, in addition to the security forces of the VCS.	The Pope is elected by the college of cardinals, and the secretary of state is appointed by the Pope.	5 years
Judicial	As noted earlier, where these laws and regulations do not cover certain instances, the Vatican has recourse to Italian laws, to provincial regulations, and to the municipal rules of the city of Rome.	Appointed by the Pope.	1 year
Legislative	Comprises the laws and regulations of the state of the Vatican city, the code of canon law, the code of civil procedure, the apostolic constitutions, the Lateran Treaty, and the conventions with other foreign states.	7 members are appointed by the Pope.	Life appointment

Regional Trade Blocs

No Regional Trade Blocs

International Organization Participation ^[2]

• CE
• IAEA
• Interpol
• IOM
• ITSO
• ITU
• ITUC
• OAS
• OPCW
• OSCE
• Schengen Convention
• UN
• UNCTAD
• UNHCR
• Union Latina
• UNWTO
• UPU
• WIPO
• WTO

Environmental Agreements [3]

• Air Pollution
• Environmental Modification
• Ozone Layer Protection

Tax Information ^[2]

Tax Authority:

Information not available

Tax Name:

Information not available

Sources:

1. ElectionGuide http://www.electionguide.org/
2. EY, http://www.ey.com
3. CIA World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/
4. U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/