National holiday:
Independence Day/Malaysia Day, 31 August (1957)
Constitution:
31 August 1957; amended 16 September 1963
Legal system:
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in
the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; Islamic law is applied to
Muslims in matters of family law
Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Paramount Ruler Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin (since
13 December 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi (since
31 October 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul
Razak (since 7 January 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the
members of Parliament with consent of the paramount ruler
elections: paramount ruler elected by and from the hereditary rulers
of nine of the states for five-year terms; election last held 3
November 2006 (next to be held in 2011); 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
election results: Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin elected paramount ruler
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of the Senate or Dewan
Negara (70 seats; 44 appointed by the paramount ruler, 26 appointed
by the state legislatures) and the House of Representatives or Dewan
Rakyat (219 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 21 March 2004 (next
must be held by 2009)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - BN 91%, DAP 5%, PAS 3%, other 1%; seats by party - BN 199,
DAP 12, PAS 6, PKR 1, independent 1
Judicial branch:
Federal Court (judges appointed by the paramount ruler on the
advice of the prime minister)
Political parties and leaders:
ruling-coalition National Front (Barisan Nasional) or BN,
consisting of the following parties: Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia Party
or PGRM [LIM Keng Yaik]; Liberal Democratic Party (Parti Liberal
Demokratik - Sabah) or LDP [LIEW Vui Keong]; Malaysian Chinese
Association (Persatuan China Malaysia) or MCA [ONG Ka Ting];
Malaysian Indian Congress (Kongresi India Malaysia) or MIC [S. Samy
VELLU]; Parti Bersatu Pakyat Sabah or PBRS [Joseph KURUP]; Parti
Bersatu Sabah or PBS [Joseph PAIRIN Kitingan]; Parti Pesaka
Bumiputra Bersatu or PBB [Patinggi Haji Abdul TAIB Mahmud]; Parti
Rakyat Sarawak or PRS [James MASING]; Sabah Progressive Party (Parti
Progresif Sabah) or SAPP [YONG Teck Lee]; Sarawak United People's
Party (Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sarawak) or SUPP [George CHAN Hong Nam];
United Malays National Organization or UMNO [ABDULLAH bin Ahmad
Badawi]; United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organization
(Pertubuhan Pasko Momogun Kadazan Dusun Bersatu) or UPKO [Bernard
DOMPOK]; People's Progressive Party (Parti Progresif Penduduk
Malaysia) or PPP [M.Keyveas]; Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party
or SPDP [William MAWANI]; opposition parties: Democratic Action
Party (Parti Tindakan Demokratik) or DAP [KARPAL Singh]; Islamic
Party of Malaysia (Parti Islam se Malaysia) or PAS [Abdul HADI
Awang]; People's Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) or PKR [WAN
AZIZAH Wan Ismael]; Sarawak National Party or SNAP [Edwin DUNDANG];
opposition coalition Alternative Front (Barisan Alternatif) or BA -
consists of PAS and PKR
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC,
NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO