Asia > Bangladesh > Government

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Administrative divisions 6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet
Ambassadors from Finland > Current Finnish Ambassadors > Ambassador	Asko Numminen
Ambassadors from the United States > Other senior diplomatic representatives > Ambassador	Judith Ann Chammas
Ambassadors from the United States > Other senior diplomatic representatives > Title	Chargé d’Affaires
Capital city	Dhaka
Capital city > Geographic coordinates	23 43 N, 90 24 E
Capital city > Name	Dhaka
Capital city > Time difference UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Commonwealth Heads of Government > Current Heads > Title	Prime Minister
Constitution 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended many times
Corruption	1.7		[159th of 160]
countries' copyright length > Usual term of copyright protection	50 pma
CPIA equity of public resource use rating	3.5		[20th of 75]
CPIA quality of public administration rating	3		[30th of 75]
date of transition to republican system of government > Republic since	June 12, 1946
Diplomatic representation from the US > Chief of mission Ambassador James F. MORIARTY
Diplomatic representation from the US > Embassy Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212
Diplomatic representation from the US > FAX	[880] (2) 882-3744
Diplomatic representation from the US > Mailing address G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000
Diplomatic representation from the US > Telephone	[880] (2) 885-5500
Diplomatic representation in the US > Chancery 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation in the US > Chief of mission Ambassador M. Humayun KABIR
Diplomatic representation in the US > Consulate(s) general	Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation in the US > FAX	[1] (202) 244-7830/2771
Diplomatic representation in the US > Telephone	[1] (202) 244-0183
embassies and high commissions in Ottawa > Address 275 Bank Street, Suite 302
embassies and high commissions in Ottawa > Neighbourhood Downtown
Executive branch > Chief of state President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002)
Executive branch > Election results Iajuddin AHMED declared president-elect by the Election Commission; he ran unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA
Executive branch > Elections president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election scheduled for 16 September 2002 was not held since Iajuddin AHMED was the only presidential candidate; he was sworn in on 6 September 2002 (next election NA); following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president
Executive branch > Note the country has a caretaker government until a general election is held; Iajuddin AHMED remains as President and Minister of Defense, and all other Cabinet portfolios are held by Caretaker Advisers (CAs); the Chief CA, Fakhruddin AHMED, is roughly equivalent to a prime minister
Flag description green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the hoist side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush vegetation of Bangladesh
Flag modification	13		[119th of 197]
foreign consulates in Edinburgh, Scotland > Consulate Address	312 Lanark Road
Foreign relations > Nepal > Date of Establishment	April 8, 1972
General government final consumption expenditure > annual % growth	7.81 %		[22nd of 147]
General government final consumption expenditure > constant 2000 US$	3,619,897,000 constant 2000 US$		[48th of 145]
General government final consumption expenditure > constant 2000 US$ (per capita)	25.524 constant 2000 US$ per c		[106th of 146]
General government final consumption expenditure > constant LCU	146144000000
General government final consumption expenditure > current LCU	205303000000
General government final consumption expenditure > current US$	3,324,745,000 $		[65th of 169]
General government final consumption expenditure > current US$ (per $ GDP)	0.055 $ per $1 of GDP		[140th of 184]
General government final consumption expenditure > current US$ (per capita)	23.443 $ per capita		[136th of 184]
Government type	parliamentary democracy
Heads of Missions from the United Kingdom	Anwar Choudhury
Heads of Missions from the United Kingdom > Resident Heads of Missions > Type	High Commission
Independence 16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh
Independence Day > Date	March 26
International organization participation ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Judicial branch Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president)
Legal origin English
Legal system based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies; members serve five-year terms; note - parliament not in session during the extended caretaker regime
Legislative branch > Election results percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance partners 41%, AL 40%, other 19%; seats by party - BNP 193, AL 58, JI 17, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 2, JP (Manzur) 4, other 12; note - the election of October 2001 brought to power a majority BNP government aligned with three other smaller parties - JI, IOJ, and Jatiya Party (Manzur)
Legislative branch > Elections last held 1 October 2001 (the scheduled January 2007 election has been postponed until 29 December 2008)
Management time dealing with officials > % of management time	3.71 %		[4th of 38]
National holiday Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh
Parliamentary seats > Female	9%		[70th of 143]
Partners in Population and Development > Representatives > Name	awaiting nomination
Policy uncertainty > % of managers surveyed ranking this as a major business constraint	44.29 %		[2nd of 38]
political parties > Multi party	•
Political parties and leaders Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Manjurul A. KHAN]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI]; Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Matiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party (Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY and Oli AHMED]
Political pressure groups and leaders Advocacy to End Gender-based Violence through the MoWCA (Ministry of Women's and Children's Affairs)
Political pressure groups and leaders > Other environmentalists; Islamist groups; religious leaders; teachers; union leaders
Prime minister	Iajuddin Ahmed (interim)
Procedures to build a warehouse > number	13		[137th of 168]
Procedures to build a warehouse > number (per capita)	0.092 per 1 million people		[164th of 170]
Procedures to enforce a contract > number	50		[21st of 170]
Procedures to enforce a contract > number (per capita)	0.353 per 1 million people		[158th of 171]
Procedures to register property > number	8		[23rd of 167]
Procedures to register property > number (per capita)	56.409 per 1 billion people		[154th of 167]
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament > %	15.1 %		[81st of 174]
Start-up procedures to register a business > number	8		[110th of 171]
Start-up procedures to register a business > number (per capita)	0.056 per 1 million people		[166th of 171]
Status democracy
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal
Time required to build a warehouse > days	185 days		[83rd of 168]
Time required to enforce a contract > days	1,442 days		[3rd of 171]
Time required to register property > days	425 days		[3rd of 167]
Time required to start a business > days	37 days		[82nd of 171]
Time to prepare and pay taxes > hours	400 hours		[42nd of 169]
Time to resolve insolvency > years	4 years		[47th of 151]
Trademarks, nonresidents	926		[56th of 99]
Trademarks, nonresidents (per capita)	7.473 per 1 million people		[104th of 146]
Trademarks, residents	3,629		[31st of 98]
Trademarks, residents (per capita)	29.289 per 1 million people		[86th of 142]
Transnational Issues > Disputes > International discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange territory for 51 small Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111 small Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's fencing and walling off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint Bangladesh-India boundary commission resurveyed and reconstructed 92 missing pillars in 2007; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; after 21 years, Bangladesh resumes talks with Burma on delimiting a maritime boundary
UN membership date	17 Sep. 1974
United Nations mission Http://www.un.int/bangladesh/
Washington, D.C. embassies > Neighborhood	Cleveland Park

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