Dominica is a parliamentary democracy governed under the constitution of 1978. Unlike the majority of countries in the Caribbean, the Commonwealth of Dominica is one of the region's few republics. The head of state is the president, who is elected by the House Assembly and serves a five-year term. The head of government is the prime minister. The members of the thirty-seat unicameral legislature, the House of Assembly serve five-year terms; twenty-one are popularly elected and nine are appointed. Administratively, Dominica is divided into ten parishes.