Southeast Asia > Brunei > Government

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Administrative divisions 4 districts (daerah-daerah, singular - daerah); Belait, Brunei and Muara, Temburong, Tutong
Ambassadors from Finland > Current Finnish Ambassadors > Ambassador	Lauri Korpinen
Capital city	Bandar Seri Begawan
Capital city > Geographic coordinates	4 53 N, 114 56 E
Capital city > Name	Bandar Seri Begawan
Capital city > Time difference UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Commonwealth Heads of Government > Current Heads > Head of Government	Hassanal Bolkiah
Commonwealth Heads of Government > Current Heads > Title	Sultan
Constitution 29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under a State of Emergency since December 1962, others since independence on 1 January 1984)
Copyright > Reference	s. 14,
countries' copyright length > Usual term of copyright protection	50 pma
Diplomatic representation from the US > Chief of mission Ambassador William E. TODD
Diplomatic representation from the US > Embassy Third Floor, Teck Guan Plaza, Jalan Sultan, Bandar Seri Begawan, BS8811
Diplomatic representation from the US > FAX	[673] 222-5293
Diplomatic representation from the US > Mailing address PSC 470 (BSB), FPO AP 96507; P.O. Box 2991, Bandar Seri Begawan BS8675, Negara Brunei Darussalam
Diplomatic representation from the US > Telephone	[673] 222-0384
Diplomatic representation in the US > Chancery 3520 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation in the US > Chief of mission Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Angela SHIM
Diplomatic representation in the US > FAX	[1] (202) 885-0560
Diplomatic representation in the US > Telephone	[1] (202) 237-1838
embassies and high commissions in Ottawa > Address	395 Laurier Avenue East
embassies and high commissions in Ottawa > Neighbourhood	Sandy Hill
Executive branch > Cabinet Council of Cabinet Ministers appointed and presided over by the monarch; deals with executive matters; note - there is also a Religious Council (members appointed by the monarch) that advises on religious matters, a Privy Council (members appointed by the monarch) that deals with constitutional matters, and the Council of Succession (members appointed by the monarch) that determines the succession to the throne if the need arises
Executive branch > Chief of state Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government
Executive branch > Elections none; the monarch is hereditary
Executive branch > Head of government Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967)
Flag description yellow with two diagonal bands of white (top, almost double width) and black starting from the upper hoist side; the national emblem in red is superimposed at the center; the emblem includes a swallow-tailed flag on top of a winged column within an upturned crescent above a scroll and flanked by two upraised hands
Flag modification	29		[17th of 197]
Foreign relations > Nepal > Date of Establishment	February 3, 1984
General government final consumption expenditure > current LCU	768000000
General government final consumption expenditure > current US$	363,464,300 $		[88th of 169]
General government final consumption expenditure > current US$ (per $ GDP)	0.095 $ per $1 of GDP		[161st of 184]
General government final consumption expenditure > current US$ (per capita)	1,723.568 $ per capita		[26th of 184]
Government type	constitutional sultanate
Heads of Missions from the United Kingdom	John Saville
Heads of Missions from the United Kingdom > Resident Heads of Missions > Type	High Commission
Independence	1 January 1984 (from UK)
Independence Day > Date	January 1
International organization participation ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, C, EAS, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Judicial branch Supreme Court - chief justice and judges are sworn in by monarch for three-year terms; Judicial Committee of Privy Council in London is final court of appeal for civil cases; Sharia courts deal with Islamic laws
Kuala Lumpur embassies > Neighborhood	Golden Triangle
Legal system based on English common law; for Muslims, Islamic Sharia law supersedes civil law in a number of areas; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch Legislative Council met on 25 September 2004 for first time in 20 years with 21 members appointed by the Sultan; passed constitutional amendments calling for a 45-seat council with 15 elected members; Sultan dissolved council on 1 September 2005 and appointed a new council with 29 members as of 2 September 2005; council met in March 2006 and in March 2007
Legislative branch > A note in 1970 the Council was changed to an appointive body by decree of the monarch; an elected Legislative Council is being considered as part of constitutional reform, but elections are unlikely for several years
Legislative branch > Elections last held in March 1962 (date of next election NA)
Legislative branch > Note in 1970 the Council was changed to an appointive body by decree of the monarch; an elected Legislative Council is being considered as part of constitutional reform, but elections are unlikely for several years
members of ASEAN > ASEAN member states > Capital	Bandar Seri Begawan
members of ASEAN > ASEAN member states > Head of Government Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah
members of ASEAN > ASEAN member states > Head of State Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah
members of ASEAN > ASEAN member states > Membership date	January 7, 1984
National holiday National Day, 23 February (1984); note - 1 January 1984 was the date of independence from the UK, 23 February 1984 was the date of independence from British protection
political parties > No party	•
Political parties and leaders > Note People's Awareness Party or PAKAR [Awang Haji MAIDIN bin Haji Ahmad] was deregistered in 2007; parties are small and have limited activity
Status	absolute monarchy
Suffrage 18 years of age for village elections; universal
Trademarks, nonresidents	1,608		[47th of 99]
Trademarks, nonresidents (per capita)	5,182.566 per 1 million people		[4th of 146]
Trademarks, residents	106		[67th of 98]
Trademarks, residents (per capita)	341.637 per 1 million people		[47th of 142]
Transnational Issues > Disputes > International Brunei and Malaysia agreed in September 2008 to resolve their offshore and deepwater seabed dispute, resume hydrocarbon exploration, and renounce any territorial claims on land; Brunei established an exclusive economic fishing zone encompassing Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands in 1984, but makes no public territorial claim to the offshore reefs; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants
Washington, D.C. embassies > Neighborhood	Cleveland Park

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