Brunei's Sultan turns 80, with no signs of change in the world's longest reign

Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei celebrates his 80th birthday this Monday, marking nearly six decades as the world's longest-reigning monarch. Despite his long tenure, there are no clear signs of succession in the oil-rich sultanate.

Days before his birthday, the Sultan announced cabinet changes. His eldest son, Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah, remains senior minister to the Prime Minister, a position the Sultan himself has held since the country gained full independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. After 58 years and 8 months as head of state, the monarch has kept the Defense and Finance portfolios for himself, while also serving as the supreme representative of Islam in Brunei.

His fourth son, Abdul Mateen, who appears more open to Western influences and boasts over 3.2 million Instagram followers, has been appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Sultan is expected to attend the ASEAN-Russia commemorative summit in Kazan this week, presided over by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He had been seen less frequently in public for nearly two months following knee surgery in January.

Brunei, a small Islamic nation located on the island of Borneo and almost entirely surrounded by Malaysia, boasts one of the highest GDP per capita figures globally, thanks to its oil wealth. The Sultan is renowned for his immense wealth, including the world's largest collection of Rolls-Royces, valued at $4 billion, and residing in the planet's largest residential palace, spanning approximately 20 hectares, as certified by Guinness World Records. In April 2019, Brunei became the first Southeast Asian country to implement a national penal code based on strict Islamic law, introducing the death penalty by stoning for homosexual acts and adultery, and amputation for thieves.