Antigua and Barbuda
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952); represented by Governor General Louisse LAKE-TACK
(since 17 July 2007)
head of government: Prime Minister Winston Baldwin SPENCER (since 24
March 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on
the advice of the prime minister
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general chosen by
the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following
legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the
leader of the majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by
the governor general
Argentina
chief of state: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER
(since 10 December 2007); Vice President Julio COBOS (since 10
December 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
head of government: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER (since
10 December 2007); Vice President Julio COBOS (since 10 December
2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term);
election last held on 28 October 2007 (next election to be held in
2011)
election results: Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER elected president;
percent of vote - Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER 45%, Elisa CARRIO
23%, Roberto LAVAGNA 17%, Alberto Rodriguez SAA 8%
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 on 19 February 2008
(next to be held in 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 Michiel Godfried (Mike) EMAN
(since 30 October 2009)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten
elections: the monarchy 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 2009 (next to be held by 2013)
election results: Mike EMAN 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 Julia Eileen GILLARD (since 24
June 2010); Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Maxwell SWAN (since 24 June
2010)
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 monarchy 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 for a six-year term (eligible for a
second term) by direct popular vote and formally sworn into office
before the Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung; presidential
election last held on 25 April 2010 (next to be held on 25 April
2016); 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 reelected president with 79.3% of
the vote
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 for a five-year term
(eligible for unlimited terms); election last held on 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 89%, 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 Sir Arthur A. FOULKES (since
14 April 2010)
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 monarchy 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 Al-Khalifa (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 bin Salim
al-ARAIDH
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by
the monarch
Bangladesh
chief of state: President Zillur RAHMAN (since 12
February 2009)
head of government: Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wajed (since 6
January 2009)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the
president
elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year
term (eligible for a second term); last election held on 11 February
2009 (next to be held in 2014)
election results: Zillur RAHMAN declared president-elect by the
Election Commission on 11 February 2009 (sworn in on 12 February);
he ran unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote -
NA