Specific Country Government Trivia

1. The Supreme Head of the Federation, or Paramount Ruler of Malaysia was established in 1957 following what event?

From Quiz Malaysian Government

Answer: Malaysia gained independence from the UK

After gaining independence from the UK the Federal Constitution of Malaysia defined the role of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Supreme Head) or constitutional Monarch as Head of State. This means the Ruler has two categories of power. The Head of State exercises powers as advised by the Cabinet - or a cabinet minister, or discretionary powers which can be used to reject a call to dissolve parliament, to convene a meeting of rulers and to appoint the Prime Minister. He is not however able to remove the Prime Minister from office. If there is an unclear result in the election of a majority, he has discretionary powers to choose someone. Red Crew's smpdit wields her powers in a very benevolent manner.

From Quiz All Greek To Them

Answer: Constitutional Monarchy

Constantine II was the last official "King of Greece" and he ruled Greece from 1964 until the monarchy was abolished in 1973. Constantine married Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark and was thus both King of Greece and Prince Consort of Denmark. Initially the Greek people seemed taken with the young and highly charismatic King; but his reign soon became one of unrest as economic problems plagued the country's economy. Constantine's coronation came at the same time as the left of center Central Union Party (EK) took control of Parliament after a decade of rule by the right of center and royalist supporting National Radical Union Party (ERE). Constantine and the leaders of EK fight over the power of the monarch became an added stress to the poltical turmoil that gripped the country over the next three years. In 1967 both Constantine and the EK were surprised when Georgios Papadopoulos led a group of junior army officers in a takeover of the government. This "coup" left Constantine as head of state, but with little ability to effect anything since the army and surprisingly a majority of Greeks supported the new junta. Constantine saved face by reluctantly agreeing to inaugurate the junta government while planning a disastrous counter-coup in December 1967. Upon the failure of this action the King was forced to flee the country. Constantine remained a "King in Exile" until June 1973, when the junta abolished the monarchy and the existing constitution, declaring Greece a republic. Even after the junta was removed in 1974 the Greek electorate voted almost 3 to 1 abolish the monarchy. Since leaving Greece in 1967 Constantine has rarely been permitted to travel back to Greece. In 1994 a law was passed stripping the former king of citizenship unless he agreed to add a last name to his passport, Constantine refused to use any other name than "Constantine, King of the Hellenes" and was this stripped of citizenship. The former royal family has since been allowed to return to Greece as private citizens and maintains homes in London and Copenhagen as well as Greece.

From Quiz Spots of the Leopard

Answer: Aden Abdullah Osman Daar

Aden Abdullah Osman Daar was the first President of Somalia and ruled from July 1, 1960 to June 10, 1967. His political career took off when he started in the Somali Youth League. He was elected as soon as Somalia gained independence in 1960. Abdirashid Ali Shermarke was his Prime Minister and defeated him in the next elections for President.

From Quiz What's That Thing? The Althing!

Answer: Vikings

Ironically, it was those vicious and uncivilised Vikings that were the people who founded the world's oldest parliament. The Vikings inhabited the northern countries that are now known as Scandinavia; Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Famed for their voyages of exploration, the Vikings are believed to have stumbled across Iceland by accident in around 850 whilst on one of their many voyages westwards. It did not take long for news of this discovery to reach those living on the Scandinavian peninsula and, with the promise of new lands to occupy, as many as ten thousand, but possibly many more than this figure, emigrated the six hundred miles or so across the north Atlantic between 870 and 930 to settle there.

From Quiz Thomas Sankara, Africa's Che

Answer: Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo

"We hope and believe that the best way of limiting the usurpation of power by individuals, military or otherwise, is to put the people in charge. Between fractions, between clans, plots and coups d'etats can be perpetrated. Against the people, a durable coup d'état cannot be perpetrated. Therefore, the best way of preventing the army from confiscating power for itself and for itself alone is to make this power shared by the voltaic people from the outset. That's what we are aiming for." Sankara (1983) While only 33, Sankara became the leader of Burkina Faso, after a coup organised by Blaise Compaore. Sankara identified himself as an anti-imperialist.

From Quiz Wait Just a Ho Chi Minh-Ute

Answer: 100 strokes of a cane for an infraction of the law

It isn't recorded as to what that infraction was, but the punishment was considered an abuse of power, and the dishonoured magistrate was promptly demoted. As a child, Ho Chi Minh was given the name Nguyen Sinh Cung. He studied Chinese writing in addition to his own country's language skills. This was a requirement for the Confucian studies he had to undertake. When he was ten, and in accordance with Confucian tradition, his name was changed to Nguyen Tat Thanh (Nguyen the Accomplished). As a child, his hobbies included kite flying and fishing. In short, there was nothing in his youth to indicate the path his life would later follow.

From Quiz Truth and Love and Vaclav Havel

Answer: Czechoslovakia and The Czech Republic

Vaclav Havel (1936-2011), as head of the dissident 'Civic Forum' was elected first president of a newly-democratic Czechoslovakia in 1989. During his term he faced ever increasing opposition from the Slovak delegates in parliament because of his opposition to their demands for an independent Slovak state. He resigned from the presidency in July 1992, refusing to preside over the breakup of the country. On January 1, 1993 Czechoslovakia ceased to exist and was replaced by two new republics, Czech and Slovak. On January 26, Havel was elected the first president of the Czech Republic.

From Quiz Josip Tito

Answer: Kumrovec, Croatia

Kumrovec is a village in the Croatian province of Zagorje. Tito was born Josip Broz (Tito being his nickname) in 1892 into a poor family. His father was Croatian and his mother Slovenian. He died in Ljubljana, Slovenia, 1980. The house he was born in is now a museum and tourist attraction.

From Quiz Hugo Chavez

Answer: 28th July 1954, Sabaneta,Venezuela

Hugo Chavez was born in Sabaneta, a rural village in the Barinas state of Venezuela on 28th of July 1954. He was born in his paternal grandmother's home and was 2nd eldest of seven children after Adan Chavez. His full name was Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias. Chavez's parents were school teachers but lived in poverty, so sent young Chavez to live with his grandmother. She was a devout Roman Catholic and Chavez described her as a pure human being, having pure love and pure kindness.

From Quiz VI: The Illegitimate Dictator: Faure Gnassingbé

Answer: Togo

Faure became President of Togo on May 4th, 2005. He had also served as Togo's president from February 5th to 25th that year, having been inaugurated to "ensure stability" after his father died. This was not constitutional, as the Constitution of Togo states that the president of the National Assembly will become President after a President's death. Fambaré Ouattara Natchaba was the President of the National Assembly at the time, but he was visiting Benin at the time, and couldn't return to Togo because the army had closed the borders. These actions were severely condemned by the international community, which regarded them as a coup d'etat.

From Quiz The Violent Dictator: Moussa Camara

Answer: Guinea

On December 22nd, 2008, Guinea's president Lansana Conté died. He had been Guinea's president for 24 years, from 1984 to 2008. The public was informed of Lansana's passing the next day by Aboubacar Somparé, the President of the National Assembly. Aboubacar was next in line to become president, but the coup made sure that didn't happen. On television, Moussa announced the coup the very same day.

From Quiz The Elected Dictator: Robert Mugabe

Answer: Zimbabwe

Robert Mugabe was elected in a turbulent election on March 4th, 1980. The campaign left a legacy of intimidation, mistrust from security forces, and reports of full ballot boxes found on the road. The newly independent country of Zimbabwe, formerly called Rhodesia, had its first government.

From Quiz The Islamist Dictator: Omar al-Bashir

Answer: Sudan

Omar led a coup of military officers and removed the Coalition Government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, which was greatly unstable, in a military coup. He became the Prime Minister on June 30th, 1989 and abolished the position on October 16th, 1993. The new government suspended political parties and established a national legal code based on Islam. After that, he became the chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation, which was a body that was newly established at the time and had legislative and executive powers over the period of transition. After the Prime Minister position was destroyed, Omar became the President of Sudan on the same date.

From Quiz Presidents of Lithuania

Answer: Antanas Smetona

Antanas Smetona was the first president of Lithuania from 1919 to 1920. Augustinas Voldemaras was the first prime minister of Lithuania. Aleksandras Stulginskis was a president of Lithuania after Smetona. Jonas Basanavicius was a politician that worked for Lithuania's independence, but never actually was a president.

From Quiz Colombian Politics

Answer: Independent

Uribe started his political career as a member of the liberal party. However, for the presidential elections of 2002 and 2006 he has claimed to be independent, notwithstanding the support given to him by "uribista" parties such as cambio radical or partido de la u.

From Quiz The Politics of Greenland

Answer: 4 years by proportional representation

Greenland uses proportional representation which results in the percentage of votes received equating to the percentage of seats won in parliament. A parliamentary term is 4 years long.

From Quiz Idi Amin: Larger Than Life

Answer: Milton Obote

Obote was the Ugandan president that Amin overthrew in a military coup in 1971 while Obote was out of the country. After Amin was deposed in 1979, Obote was returned to the presidency of Uganda in elections held in 1980. There are many who say that his regime was even more oppresive than Amin's, he just didn't get the press that Amin did.

From Quiz Yasser Arafat

Answer: Abu Ammar

From Quiz Maumar Qaddafi

Answer: 1942

Qaddafi was a member of the Qaddaf Bedouin tribe of Libya.

From Quiz Ayotollah Khomeini

Answer: 1902

Khomeini was born in Khomein on September 24, 1902, although some historians argue it was in 1900.

From Quiz Ukrainian Politics

Answer: 1994

Leonid Kuchma was born in 1938 in the Chernihiv region of Northern Ukraine. Between 1960 and 1982 he worked as a technical designer at the "Pivdenne" Design Bureau, the world's largest space industry complex, which produced many of the USSR's best missiles. His political career began in 1990, when he was elected to the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, for his first four-year term as a deputy. Rumours claim he voted against the Ukrainian Independence. He then served as Ukrainian prime minister between October 1992 and September 1993. He was reelected in 1999. Kuchma involves accusations that he was complicit in the September 2000 murder of Georgiy Gongadze, an opposition journalist for "Ukrainian truth" online - newspaper. Audio recordings, secretly made by the president's own guard, suggest that Leonid Kuchma asked his security services to rid him of an awkward and outspoken opponent. Most Western countries have drastically downgraded contacts with Kuchma.

From Quiz Malaysian Government

Answer: Members of Parliament

Cabinet ministers are selected from the Parliament, and are answerable to the Parliament. The Cabinet is directed by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (monarch). The Prime Minister is generally selected based on the likelihood of commanding a majority opinion within the Parliament. The makeup of the Cabinet varies by need, except for the Minister of Finance which is a role specified by law. The number of ministers has ranged from 13 to 38 from independence to the 2020s. The Cabinet formulates economic policy and sets the budget, and proposes legislation which is then considered by the Parliament. Player pusdoc of the Phoenix Rising Red Crew has built kitchen cabinets but not an executive Cabinet.

From Quiz Aung San Suu Kyi's Family Life [Burma]

Answer: In the grounds of their house

Aung San Lin sadly passed away at the age of 8.

From Quiz All Greek To Them

Answer: Presidential Parliamentary Republic

Greece's long history has seen all types of poltical systems and models. Classic Athenian democracy was a form of "direct democracy" where political decisions were made by vote of each eligible voter (citizen/male/over 21/owner of property in Athens for example). Alexander the Great ruled Greece as an "absolute monarch" as did the Roman Emperors and Ottoman Emirs thereafter. Greece's presidential based parliamentary republic is similar to other European systems of this era. A President is elected directly by the nation and manages the executive branch of the government. Presidential powers are tightly defined and limited as the majority of policy decisions are determined by the parliamentary legislature. The party or coalition of parties that can organize a majority of legislators names the Prime Minister who then sets the ministers to manage the administrative branch of the government. A separate judicial branch exists to administer justice, through judges appointed by the President for life from a list of national school of judge graduates.

From Quiz Spots of the Leopard

Answer: His assassination

Abdirashid Ali Shermarke was the second President of Somalia and ruled from June 10, 1967 to October 15, 1969, the day of his assassination. He was shot by one of his bodyguards and his death marked the start of military rule in Somalia. He was the father of another Prime Minister of Somalia, Omar Abdirashid Ali Shermarke. He beat Daar, under whom he was Prime Minister, to become the President of Somalia.

From Quiz What's That Thing? The Althing!

Answer: 930

The 'Alþingi' in its native Icelandic (pronounced 'Althing' in English), was founded to serve as a general assembly in which the settlers, the vast majority of which lived in small isolated communities, had a place in which they could come together, discuss issues and make decisions that would be of benefit to all. One of the unique aspects of the Alþingi at this point in history was that, unlike many other governments of the time, it was not instituted for the benefit of the wealthy chieftains, warlords or kings, but instead looked after the interests of the Icelandic freeman farmers.

From Quiz Wait Just a Ho Chi Minh-Ute

Answer: USA

Ho Chi Minh worked in various low paying menial employment while in the States. He was there, at different times, from 1912 to 1919, and centred his time in Harlem, Boston and Brooklyn. He would later claim that he worked for wealthy families and as a manager for General Motors during this time. While he was in America, his first interest in politics began to stir. It is thought he was greatly influenced in this by Korean Nationalists and their blossoming interest in maintaining their own country's identity and history.

From Quiz Truth and Love and Vaclav Havel

Answer: He founded a movie studio

Back in the early 1920's, Vaclav Havel Sr. and his brother Milos were businessmen who purchased a hill overlooking Prague, planning to build an upscale development there. They called the new area 'Barrandov', after a 19th century French geologist who had worked extensively in the area. They built a luxury restaurant complex (The Terrace) and a movie studio, 'Barrandov' (1933). It quickly became one of the major film producers in Europe. During the Nazi occupation it was used as a propaganda machine, and then it and all the Havel holdings were expropriated when the Communists took over in 1949. After 1989, Barrandov Studios underwent a shaky transition to the free market, but eventually grew into the best equipped and biggest studios in Europe. Because of all the international films made there, including 'Mission: Impossible" and the "Narnia" series, it has become a real 'Hollywood East'.

From Quiz Josip Tito

Answer: Austro-Hungarian Army

Tito was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1913. By 1914, at the age of 22, he became the youngest Sergeant Major and was sent to the Eastern front to fight the Russians. He was wounded and captured by the Russians and spent 13 months in a Russian hospital. It was in Russia that Tito discovered Communism, which was to change his destiny and the country he was to eventually rule. He joined the South Slav Bolsheviks and the Red Guard (but not as Sergeant Major) and fought in the Russian Revolution. The JNA was the army under his regime, of which he was Marshal.

From Quiz Hugo Chavez

Answer: Caracas

Chavez enrolled at the Venezuelan Academy of Military Sciences in Caracas at the age of 17 in 1971 and stayed there until 1975. During his time, fellow pupils studied under an Andres Bello plan where cadets studied more general subjects alongside their military studies, so professors from civilian universities were brought in to teach military cadets too. The other cities mentioned are capitals of the various provinces of Venezuela.

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Last Updated Apr 13 2024 5:49 AM

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