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The Margin★ Midterms 2026 · 124d
Asia & Pacific · reference

🇧🇳 Brunei

Absolute monarchy (sultanate)

SystemAbsolute monarchy (sultanate)
Head of stateSultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who is also prime minister and holds the key ministries
LegislatureLegislative Council · about 36 members, all appointed or ex officio
ElectionsNo national elections · the only legislative election was held in 1965 and a state of emergency has run since 1962
Last election1965-03-20 · the only legislative election ever held

Hassanal Bolkiah has reigned since 1967, one of the longest reigns of any living monarch, presiding over an oil-and-gas welfare state with no income tax. The national ideology of Malay Islamic Monarchy underpins royal authority, and a sharia penal code was phased in from 2014. A moratorium keeps its harshest punishments unenforced after international pressure in 2019.

Live encyclopedic leader and election records · verified 2026-07-02
The Margin models elections where a competitive public record exists · all countries