The politics of

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by t ...

take place in a framework of an

absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism (European history), Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute pow ...

, whereby the Sultan of Brunei is both

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

and

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, ...

(

Prime Minister of Brunei The prime minister of Brunei ( ms, Perdana Menteri Negara Brunei Darussalam) is the head of government of Brunei. Concurrently, the title is held by the sultan of Brunei, who is also the head of state of the country.Executive power The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state. In political systems b ...

is exercised by the government. Brunei has a legislative council with 36 appointed members, that hold consultative powers only.

Political power

Under Brunei's 1959

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

, His Majesty Hassanal Bolkiah, is the

with full executive authority, including emergency powers since 1962. The Sultan's role is enshrined in the national philosophy known as " Melayu Islam Beraja" (MIB), or Malay Islamic

Monarchy A monarchy is a government#Forms, form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The legitimacy (political)#monarchy, political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restric ...

. The country has been under

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

since a rebellion occurred in the early 1960s and was put down by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

troops from

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

Executive branch

The Sultan is the

and

in Brunei. He exercises absolute powers and full executive authority under the framework of the 1959 Constitution. The Sultan is advised by and presides over five councils, which he appoints. The five councils are the Privy Council, Council of Succession, Religious Council,

Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

and the Legislative Council.

Privy Council

According to the Constitution, the Privy Council advises the Sultan in the matters concerning the exercise of authority of mercy and the amendment or revocation of provisions in the Constitution. The council also advises the Sultan on the conferring of Malay customary ranks, titles and honours. It also performs functions such as proclaiming a succession of regency. Members of the Privy Council include members of the royal family and senior government officials.

Council of Succession

The Council of Succession determines succession to the throne should that need arise. The order of succession is determined by the Constitution.

Religious Council

The Religious Council, known in full as the Brunei Islamic Religious Council (BIRC) advises the Sultan on all matters pertaining to Islam. The body in charge of Islamic administration policy. Policies determined by the council are executed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Members of the Religious Council include government ministers, a pengiran cheteria, pehin manteris, state mufti, the Attorney General, the Syarie Chief Justice and additional members appointed by the Sultan.

Council of Ministers

A Council of Ministers, or cabinet, which currently consists of nine members (including the Sultan himself as Prime Minister), perform the day-to-day administrative functions of government.

Legislative branch

Under the 1959 constitution there was an elected Legislative Council ( ms, Majlis Mesyuarat Negera), but only one election has ever been held, in 1965. Soon after that election, the assembly was dissolved following the declaration of a state of emergency, which saw the banning of the

Brunei People's Party Brunei People's Party (Malay: ''Parti Rakyat Brunei, PRB'') is a banned political party in Brunei. PRB was established as a left leaning party in 1956 and aimed to bring Brunei into full independence from the United Kingdom. The party sought ...

. In 1970 the Council was changed to an appointed body by decree of the Sultan. In 2004 the Sultan announced that for the next parliament, 15 of the 20 seats would be elected. However, no date for the election has been set. Since 13 January 2017, the Council has 33 members, including 13 cabinet ministers.

List of Brunei political parties

Although there are no elections, the following legal party exists: * National Development Party (NDP) Former parties include: * Brunei National Solidarity Party (PPKB) * Brunei People's Awareness Party (PAKAR) * Brunei National Democratic Party (BNDP) *

References

External links

Government of Brunei Darussalam Official Website
{{Brunei topics bn:ব্রুনাই#রাজনীতি