Armenia
chief of state: President Serzh SARGSIAN (since 9 April 2008)
head of government: Prime Minister Tigran SARGSIAN (since 9 April
2008)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 19 February 2008
(next to be held February 2013); prime minister appointed by the
president based on majority or plurality support in parliament; the
prime minister and Council of Ministers must resign if the National
Assembly refuses to accept their program
election results: Serzh SARGSIAN elected president; percent of vote
- Serzh SARGSIAN 52.9%, Levon TER-PETROSSIAN 21.5%, Artur
BAGHDASARIAN 16.7%
Aruba
chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30
April 1980); represented by Governor General Fredis REFUNJOL (since
11 May 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30
October 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed for
a six-year term by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime
minister elected by the Staten for four-year terms; election last
held in 2005 (next to be held by 2009)
election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent
of legislative vote - NA
Australia
chief of state: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952); represented by Governor General Quentin BRYCE (since
5 September 2008)
head of government: Prime Minister Kevin RUDD (since 3 December
2007); Deputy Prime Minister Julia GILLARD (since 3 December 2007)
cabinet: prime minister nominates, from among members of Parliament,
candidates who are subsequently sworn in by the governor general to
serve as government ministers
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by
the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following
legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of
a majority coalition is sworn in as prime minister by the governor
general
Austria
chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) (since 8 July
2004)
head of government: Chancellor Werner FAYMANN (SPOe) (since 2
December 2008); Vice Chancellor Josef PROELL (OeVP) (since 2
December 2008)
cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice
of the chancellor
elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year
term (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held
25 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2010); chancellor formally
chosen by the president but determined by the coalition parties
forming a parliamentary majority; vice chancellor chosen by the
president on the advice of the chancellor
election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote -
Heinz FISCHER 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER 47.6%
note: government coalition - SPOe and OeVP
Azerbaijan
chief of state: President Ilham ALIYEV (since 31 October
2003)
head of government: Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (since 4 November
2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Yaqub EYYUBOV (since June 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and
confirmed by the National Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote to a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 15 October 2008
(next to be held in October 2013); prime minister and first deputy
prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by the
National Assembly
election results: Ilham ALIYEV reelected president; percent of vote
- Ilham ALIYEV 88.7%, Igbal AGHAZADE 2.9%, five other candidates
with smaller percentages
note: several political parties boycotted the election due to unfair
conditions; OSCE observers concluded that the election did not meet
international standards
Bahamas, The
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952); represented by Governor General Arthur D. HANNA (since 1
February 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Hubert A. INGRAHAM (since 4 May
2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime
minister's recommendation
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by
the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually
appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister
recommends the deputy prime minister
Bahrain
chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa (since 6 March
1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the
monarch, born 21 October 1969)
head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman al-Khalifa
(since 1971); Deputy Prime Ministers ALI bin Khalifa bin Salman
al-Khalifa, MUHAMMAD bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, Jawad al-ARAIDH
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by
the monarch
Bangladesh
chief of state: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6
September 2002)
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
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
election results: Iajuddin AHMED declared president-elect by the
Election Commission; he ran unopposed as president; percent of
National Parliament vote - NA
Barbados
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);
represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS
(since 1 June 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister David THOMPSON (since 16 January
2008)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by
the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually
appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister
recommends the deputy prime minister
Belarus
chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20
July 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Sergey SIDORSKIY (since 19
December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since
December 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
first election took place 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the
1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999,
however, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a
November 1996 referendum; subsequent election held 9 September 2001;
an October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits and
allowed the president to run in a third election, which was held on
19 March 2006; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed
by the president
election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent
of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 82.6%, Aleksandr MILINKEVICH 6%,
Aleksandr KOZULIN 2.3%; note - election marred by electoral fraud