Head of Government
Prime Minister - YAB Dato' Seri Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi
Deputy Prime Minister - YAB Datuk Seri Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak

Government type : Democracy

Country name: Malaysia
Former : Federation of Malaya

Note: Malaya, what is now Peninsular Malaysia, formed on 31 August 1957; Malaysia (Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore) formed 9 July 1963 (Singapore left Malaysia on 9 August 1965); nominally headed by the Prime Minister and a bicameral Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house; Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary royalty rulers in all but Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak, where Governors are appointed by the Malaysian Government; powers of state governments are limited by the federal constitution; under terms of the federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitution; (eg: the right to maintain their own immigration controls); Sabah - holds 20 seats in the House of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government; Sarawak - holds 28 seats in the House of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security and other powers delegated to federal government.

Independence 31 August 1957

Capital Kuala Lumpur

Administrative Divisions
13 states and 3 Federal Territories; Negeri Sembilan, Perlis, Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Perak, Selangor, Melaka, Pahang, Johor, Kelantan, Terengganu, Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan.

Legal system
Based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.

Legislative branch
Bicameral Parliament, or Parlimen, consists of nonelected Senate or Dewan Negara (70 seats; 44 appointed by the paramount ruler, 26 appointed by state legislatures) and the House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (222 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms).

Elections: House of Representatives - last held 8 March 2008.

Judicial Branch
Federal court (judges appointed by the paramount ruler on the advice of the prime minister