Andorra is a constitutional, parliamentary democracy with 2 co-princes serving with joint authority as heads of state: the President of France and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Seu d'Urgell in Spain. The head of government has executive power. Free and fair elections held on the basis of universal suffrage periodically elect the 28 members of the Conseil General (Parliament), who in turn select the head of government. Elections in 2005 saw the ruling Andorran Liberal Party (PLA) lose its absolute majority in Parliament. The PLA went from 15 to 14 seats, the Social Democratic Party (PS) doubled its representation from 6 to 12 seats, and the remaining 2 seats went to CDA-Segle-21, a union of 2 parties that joined in a coalition with the PLA. 8 women serve in Parliament, but there are no minorities in Parliament or the Cabinet. Andorra depends on Spain and France for external defence. The judiciary is independent.

All persons are equal before the law, and discrimination is prohibited on grounds of birth, race, sex, origin, opinions or any other personal or social condition.

Freedom of speech and of the press are guaranteed. The law does not prohibit trafficking in persons, but there were no reports that persons were trafficked to, from or within the country.

The government provides free, compulsory, universal public education for ages 4 to 16. Nursery schools are free, but there is a need for more free pre-school places.

A 3-year ECE programme begins at age 3. Only 2% of ECE is provided privately. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) is 100%. Of the 178 ECE teachers, 92% are women. The pupil/teacher ratio (PTR) is 15 : 1.

6 years of primary education begin at age 6. The NER is 89%. 1% of primary education is provided privately. 96% of primary graduates proceed to secondary school (95% of boys, 96% of girls). There are 337 primary teachers (77% female). The PTR is 13 : 1.

A 6-year secondary education programme begins at age 12. Education is mandatory to age 16. 50% of secondary students are girls. In lower secondary school 7% of students are enrolled in technical vocational studies, a proportion that increases to 29% in upper secondary. The Gross Enrolment Ratio in lower secondary is 91% and in upper secondary 61%. At this level 5% of education is private. There are 460 secondary teachers (59% female), with 362 in lower secondary and 98 in upper secondary. The PTR in lower secondary is 7 : 1 and in upper secondary 8 : 1.

331 students are registered in tertiary education with an academic staff of 84 (48% female). Meanwhile, 1,240 Andorran students study abroad, mainly in Spain (951) and France (231), with the rest in the Netherlands, the USA and Italy.

No discrimination is reported against persons with disabilities in employment, education, health care or other state services. Access to public buildings for persons with disabilities is mandated and enforced, but social and cultural barriers against persons with disabilities remain.

The law does not provide for the granting of asylum or refugee status in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol, and the government has not established a system of protection to refugees.

Foreign residents have the same rights and freedoms as citizens, but immigrant workers indicate they do not have the same rights and security. The law gives legal status to the approximately 7,000 immigrants working in the country without work permits or residence permits. Changes to qualifications required for Andorran citizenship have become a major issue in the country. Only 35.7% of the population comprises legal citizens. Citizenship remains hard to acquire; only Andorran nationals can transmit citizenship to their children. Legal residents may obtain citizenship after 25 years of residence. Children of residents may opt for Andorran citizenship after 18 years if they have resided virtually all of their lives in Andorra.

Academic freedom is not restricted, and Internet access is easily available and affordable.

The Andorran International Women's Association and the Andorran Women's Association (AAW) rarely file complaints with the police for fear of reprisal against victims. Sexual harassment is not prohibited and is not seen as problematic. AAW reports cases of women dismissed from employment due to pregnancy. Women do not earn equal pay for work of equal value. The earnings gap is decreasing but women earn 35% less than men for comparable work.

Violence against women is a problem and is noted to have increased. Legislation does not specifically prohibit domestic violence, although other laws may apply.

Children under age 18 are prohibited from working except in very limited circumstances. Labour Inspectors enforce child labour regulations.

Workers have the right to form and join trade unions, though no law specifically provides for collective bargaining. Wages are determined by the annual cost of living. The law does not explicitly provide for the right to strike, and no strikes occurred during the year.

There are no export processing zones. Forced and compulsory labour is not prohibited, but no reports of such practices were filed. Many immigrant workers hold temporary work authorisations and are required to leave the country when a contract expires. The official minimum wage of US $1,095 (811 Euros) a month does not provide for a decent standard of living for a worker and family. The work week is 40 hours.