Official name

Negara Brunei Darussalam

Form of state

Sultanate

The executive

The sultan is advised on policy matters by four councils: the Religious Council, the Privy Council, the Council of Succession and the Council of Cabinet Ministers

Head of state

HM Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin

National legislature

The appointed legislature, suspended since 1984, was briefly reconvened in 2004. A new legislature with five indirectly elected members, the Legislative Council (Legco), was convened in 2005 and has met periodically since. Plans have been announced to introduce a legislature of 45 members, 15 of whom would be elected by popular vote, but no timetable for an election has been announced

Legal system

Courts of first instance exist on a local and religious basis; appeals go to the Religious Council in religious cases, and to the High Court and thence to the Court of Appeal in other cases. All major judicial posts are filled by the sultan's appointees

National elections

The last election was held in 1962; no date has yet been set for an election to a partly democratic Legco

National government

The sultan, close family members and his appointees control all organs of state power, including the Council of Cabinet Ministers, under the state of emergency that has been in force since 1962

Main political organisations

There is currently only one legal political party, the Parti Pembangunan (PP, National Development Party), which was legalised in 2005. The other two parties, the Parti Kesedaran Rakyat (PAKAR, People's Awareness Party) and the Parti Perpaduan Kebangsaan Brunei (PPKB, Brunei National Solidarity Party), were deregistered by the government in 2007-08. Brunei's political parties are only intermittently active. Promotion of the national ideology of Melayu Islam Beraja (Malay Islamic Monarchy) has intensified since 1990

Sultan, prime minister, minister of finance & defence: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin

Senior minister, heir to the throne, head of monetary authority: Crown Prince Billah Bolkiah

Key ministers

Attorney-general: Hayati Mohd Salleh

Communications: Abdullah Bakar

Culture, youth & sports: Hazair Abdullah

Development: Suyoi Osman

Education: Abu Bakar Apong

Energy: Mohammad Yasmin Umar

Finance (second minister): Abdul Rahman Ibrahim

Foreign affairs & trade: Prince Mohamed Bolkiah

Foreign affairs & trade (second minister): Lim Jock Seng

Health: Adanan Mohd Yusof

Home affairs: Badaruddin Othman

Industry & primary resources: Yahya Bakar

Religious affairs: Mohamed Abd Rahman