According to petwithsupplies, in 2008, Guyana was a parliamentary democracy with an executive president. The president, Bharrat Jagdeo, had been in office since 1999 and was re-elected for a third term in 2006. The unicameral National Assembly is the legislative branch of the government and consists of 65 members elected by universal suffrage for five year terms. The judicial system is based on English common law and the laws of Guyana are passed by the National Assembly. Guyana has maintained friendly relations with its neighbors Venezuela, Suriname, Brazil, and Trinidad & Tobago. In 2008, Guyana signed an agreement with Venezuela to settle their long-standing border dispute over Essequibo which had been ongoing since 1966. This agreement established that both countries would jointly develop the resources within Essequibo while maintaining sovereignty over their respective areas. In 2008, Guyana’s economy was largely dependent on agricultural exports such as sugarcane, rice and timber as well as gold mining and oil production. Despite these sectors providing a steady income to many citizens, poverty levels remain high due to a lack of investment in infrastructure and education as well as widespread corruption in government institutions. Guyana also experienced political unrest during this period due to several attempted coups by military leaders who sought to overthrow the elected government. These coups were largely unsuccessful however they did cause disruption to the country’s stability which lasted until 2013 when José Mário Vaz was elected president following peaceful elections. Check eningbo for Guyana in 2012.