U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 1997 - San Marino
Publisher | United States Department of State |
Publication Date | 30 January 1998 |
Cite as | United States Department of State, U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 1997 - San Marino, 30 January 1998, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aa7b4.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, January 30, 1998.
SAN MARINO
San Marino is a democratic, multiparty republic. The popularly elected Parliament (the Great and General Council--GGC) selects two of its members to serve as the Captains Regent (co-Heads of State). They preside over meetings of the GGC and of the Cabinet (Congress of State), which has 10 other members, also selected by the GGC. Assisting the Captains Regent are three Secretaries of State (Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, and Finance) and several additional secretaries. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs has come to assume many of the prerogatives of a prime minister. Elected officials effectively control the centralized police organization (the Civil Police) and the two military corps (the Gendarmerie and the Guardie di Rocca). The principal economic activities are tourism, farming, light manufacturing, and banking. In addition to revenue from taxes and customs, the Government derives much of its revenue from the sale of coins and postage stamps to collectors throughout the world and from an annual budget subsidy provided by the Italian Government under the terms of the Basic Treaty with Italy. The Legal Code extensively provides for human rights, and the authorities respect its provisions. Although the Parliament and the Government have demonstrated strong commitment to the protection of human rights, some laws discriminate against women, particularly with regard to the transmission of citizenship.