(a privy council that serves only in a consultative
capacity; NA seats; members appointed by the monarch)
elections: last held in March 1962
note: in 1970 the Council was changed to an appointive body by
decree of the monarch; an elected Legislative Council is being
considered as part of constitutional reform, but elections are
unlikely for several years

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chief justice and judges are
sworn in by the monarch for three-year terms

Political parties and leaders: Brunei Solidarity National Party
president]; the PPKB is the only legal political party in Brunei; it
was registered in 1985, but became largely inactive after 1988; it
has less than 200 registered party members; other parties include
Brunei People's Party or PRB (banned in 1962) and Brunei National
Democratic Party (registered in May 1985, deregistered by the Brunei
Government in 1988)

International organization participation: APEC, ASEAN, C, CCC,
ESCAP, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW,
UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Pengiran Anak Dato Haji PUTEH Ibni
Mohammad Alam
chancery: Watergate, Suite 300, 3rd floor, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20037

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Glen Robert RASE
embassy: Third Floor, Teck Guan Plaza, Jalan Sultan, Bandar Seri
Begawan
mailing address: PSC 470 (BSB), FPO AP 96534-0001

Flag description: yellow with two diagonal bands of white (top,
almost double width) and black starting from the upper hoist side;
the national emblem in red is superimposed at the center; the emblem
includes a swallow-tailed flag on top of a winged column within an
upturned crescent above a scroll and flanked by two upraised hands

Economy

Economy--overview: This small, wealthy economy is a mixture of
foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation and
welfare measures, and village tradition. It is almost totally
supported by exports of crude oil and natural gas, with revenues
from the petroleum sector accounting for over half of GDP. Per
capita GDP is far above most other Third World countries, and
substantial income from overseas investment supplements income from
domestic production. The government provides