The Southeast Asian monarchy of Brunei will reconvene parliament for the first time in decades as part of political reforms to "engage the citizens", Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announced Thursday.
Hassanal, who has been both chief of state and head of government since 1967, said he had decided to "give priority to widening the opportunities of the public to engage and contribute to national progress".
"Therefore, a more formal structure to engage the citizens should be established. As such, I have decided to reactivate the legislative council," Hassanal said in a nationally televised address to mark his 58th birthday.
Hassanal, who is finance and defence minister as well as prime minister, said parliament would reconvene "in a short while", without giving further details about the time-frame.
He also did not specify whether members of parliament would be elected or appointed, or how much power it would have.
The elected version of the legislative council has not sat since 1962, when Hassanal's father and predecessor as sultan, Omar Ali Saifuddin, disbanded it after the left-wing Brunei People's Party won parliamentary elections.
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