 Country name:
conventional long form: none conventional short form:Malaysia local long form:none local short form:Malaysia former:Federation of Malaya
Government type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital:
name:Kuala Lumpur; note - Putrajaya is referred to as an administrative center not the capital; Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpurgeographic coordinates:3 10 N, 101 42 E time difference:UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri); Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu; and 1 federal territory (Wilayah Persekutuan) with 3 components, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya
Independence:
31 August 1957 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day 31 August (1957) (independence of Malaya); Malaysia Day 16 September (1963) (formation of Malaysia)
Constitution:
previous 1948; latest drafted 21 February 1957, effective 27 August 1957; amended many times, last in 2007 (2010)
Legal system:
mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation
International law organization participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:King Tuanku ABDUL HALIM Mu'adzam Shah (selected on 13 December 2011; installed on 11 April 2012); the position of the king is primarily ceremonialhead of government:Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Najib Razak (since 3 April 2009); Deputy Prime Minister MUHYIDDIN bin Mohamed Yassin (since 9 April 2009) cabinet:Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament with consent of the king elections:kings are elected by and from the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year terms; selection is based on the principle of rotation among rulers of states; elections were last held on 14 October 2011 (next to be held in 2016); prime ministers are designated from among the members of the House of Representatives; following legislative elections, the leader who commands the support of the majority of members in the House becomes prime minister (since independence this has been the leader of the UMNO party) election results:Tuanku ABDUL HALIM Mu'adzam Shah elected king by fellow hereditary rulers of nine states; Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Najib Razak was sworn in as prime minister the day after his National Front (BN) coalition won a majority of seats during the 5 May 2013 national election; NAJIB was re-elected uncontested as UMNO president on 19 October 2013
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of Senate or Dewan Negara (70 seats; 44 members appointed by the king, 26 elected by 13 state legislatures to serve three-year terms with a two term limit) and House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (222 seats; members elected in 222 constituencies in a first-pass-the-post system to serve up to five-year terms)elections:House of Representatives - last held on 5 May 2013 (next to be held by May 2018) election results:House of Representatives - percent of vote - BN coalition 47.4%, opposition parties 50.9%, others 1.7%; seats - BN coalition 133, opposition parties 89
| | Judicial branch:
highest court(s):Federal Court (consists of the chief justice and 4 judges)note - Malaysia has a dual judicial hierarchy of civil and religious (sharia) courts judge selection and term of office:Federal Court justices appointed by the monarch on advice of the prime minister; judges serve till age 65 subordinate courts:Court of Appeal; High Court; Sessions Court; Magistrates' Court
Political parties and leaders:
Bar CouncilBERSIH (electoral reform coalition) PEMBELA (Muslim NGO coalition) PERKASA (defense of Malay rights) other:religious groups; women's groups; youth groups
International organization participation:
ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CICA (observer), CP, D-8, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission:Ambassador AWANG ADEK Bin Hussin (since 21 May 2015)chancery:3516 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone:[1] (202) 572-9700 FAX:[1] (202) 572-9882 consulate(s) general:Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:Ambassador Joseph Y. YUN (since 12 September 2013)embassy:376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur mailing address:US Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96535-8152 telephone:[60] (3) 2168-5000 FAX:[60] (3) 2142-2207
Flag description:
14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow 14-pointed star; the flag is often referred to as Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory); the 14 stripes stand for the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal government; the 14 points on the star represent the unity between these entities; the crescent is a traditional symbol of Islam; blue symbolizes the unity of the Malay people and yellow is the royal color of Malay rulers
National symbol(s):
tiger
National anthem:
name:'Negaraku' (My Country)
lyrics/music:collective, led by Tunku ABDUL RAHMAN/Pierre Jean DE BERANGER note:adopted 1957; the full version is only performed in the presence of the king; the tune, which was adopted from a popular French melody titled 'La Rosalie,' was originally the anthem of the state of Perak |