Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Paramount Ruler Tuanku SYED SIRAJUDDIN ibni Almarhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail, the Raja of Perlis (since 12 December 2001); replaced Paramount Ruler Sultan TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hissammuddin Alam Shah who died in office 21 November 2001 head of government: Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (since 16 July 1981); Deputy Prime Minister ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi (since 8 January 1999) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament with consent of the paramount ruler election results: Tuanku SYED SIRAJUDDIN ibni Almarhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail elected paramount ruler following the death of TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah elections: paramount ruler elected by and from the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year terms; election last held 12 December 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); prime minister designated from among the members of the House of Representatives; following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins a plurality of seats in the House of Representatives becomes prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of the Senate or Dewan Negara (69 seats; 43 appointed by the paramount ruler, 26 appointed by the state legislatures) and the House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (193 seats; members elected by popular vote weighted toward the rural Malay population to serve five-year terms) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NF 56%, other 44%; seats by party - NF 148, PAS 27, DAP 10, NJP 5, PBS 3 elections: House of Representatives - last held 29 November 1999 (next must be held by 20 December 2004)
Judicial branch: Federal Court (judges appointed by the paramount ruler on the advice of the prime minister)
Political parties and leaders: Alternative Coalition or Barisan
Alternatif-BA (includes the following parties: Party Islam Se-Malaysia
or PAS [FADZIL Mohamad Noor], National Justice Party or NJP [WAN AZIZAH
Wan Ismail], and Malaysian People's Party or PRM [SYED HUSIN]); National
Front or NF (ruling coalition dominated by the United Malays National
Organization or UMNO [MAHATHIR bin Mohamad], includes the following
parties: Malaysian Indian Congress or MIC [S. Samy VELLU], Malaysian
Chinese Association or MCA [LING Liong Sik], Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia or
Gerakan [LIM Keng Yaik], Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu or PBB [Patinggi
Haji Abdul TAIB Mahmud], Parti Angkatan Keadilan Rakyat Bersatu or Akar
[PANDIKAR Amin Mulia], Parti Bangsa Dayak Sarawak or PBDS [Leo MOGGIE],
Parti Bersatu Sabah or PBS [Joseph PAIRIN Kitingan], Sabah United People's
Party or SUPP [Jeffrey KITINGAN], Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [CHONG
Kah Kiat], Sabah Progressive Party or SAPP [YONG Teck Lee], People's
Progressive Party or PPP [M. KAYVEAS], Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah or
PBRS [Joseph KURUP], Sarawak National Party or SNAP [Amar James WONG],
Parti Demokratik Sabah or PDS [leader NA], and United Pasok Momogun
Kadazan Organization or UPKO (state level only) [Bernard DOMPOK]);
Parti Bersekutu [HARRIS Salleh]; State Reform Party of Sarawak or STAR
[PATAU Rubis]; Democratic Action Party or DAP [LIM Kit Siang]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, C,
CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MINURSO,
MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE,
UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTAET, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: Ambassador GHAZZALI bin Sheikh Abdul Khalid chancery: Los Angeles and New York FAX: [1] (202) 483-7661 telephone: [1] (202) 328-2700
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Marie T. HUHTALA embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur mailing address: P. O. Box No. 10035, 50700 Kuala Lumpur; American Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96535-8152 telephone: Flag description: 14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow fourteen-pointed star; the crescent and the star are traditional symbols of Islam; the design was based on the flag of the US
Economy Malaysia