bicameral Parliament consisting of the National
Assembly (400 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a
system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) and
the National Council of Provinces (90 seats, 10 members elected by
each of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms; has
special powers to protect regional interests, including the
safeguarding of cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic
minorities); note - following the implementation of the new
constitution on 4 February 1997, the former Senate was disbanded and
replaced by the National Council of Provinces with essentially no
change in membership and party affiliations, although the new
institution's responsibilities have been changed somewhat by the new
constitution
elections: National Assembly and National Council of Provinces -
last held on 14 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC
69.7%, DA 12.4%, IFP 7%, UDM 2.3%, NNP 1.7%, ACDP 1.6%, other 5.3%;
seats by party - ANC 279, DA 50, IFP 28, UDM 9, NNP 7, ACDP 6, other
21; National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - NA
Spain
bicameral; General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes
Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (264 seats as of 2008;
208 members directly elected by popular vote and the other 56 - as
of 2008 - appointed by the regional legislatures; to serve four-year
terms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados
(350 seats; each of the 50 electoral provinces fills a minimum of
two seats and the North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla fill
one seat each with members serving a four-year term; the other 248
members are determined by proportional representation based on
popular vote on block lists who serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 9 March 2008 (next to be held in
March 2012); Congress of Deputies - last held on 9 March 2008 (next
to be held in March 2012)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - PP 101, PSOE 88, Entesa Catalona de Progress 12, CiU 4, PNV
2, CC 1, members appointed by regional legislatures 56; Congress of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - PSOE 43.6%, PP 40.1%, CiU
3.1%, PNV 1.2%, ERC 1.2%, other 10.8%; seats by party - PSOE 169, PP
154, CiU 10, PNV 6, ERC 3, other 8
Sri Lanka
unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by
popular vote on the basis of an open-list, proportional
representation system by electoral district to serve six-year terms)
elections: last held on 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance -
SLFP and JVP (no longer in formal UPFA alliance) 45.6%, UNP 37.8%,
TNA 6.8%, JHU 6%, SLMC 2%, UPF 0.5%, EPDP 0.3%, other 1%; seats by
party - UNP 68, SLFP 57, JVP 39, TNA 22, CWC 8, JHU 7, SLMC 6, SLMC
dissidents 4, Communist Party 2, JHU dissidents 2, LSSP 2, MEP 2,
NUA 2, UPF 2, EPDP 1, UNP dissident 1
Sudan
bicameral National Legislature consists of a Council of States
(50 seats; members indirectly elected by state legislatures to serve
six-year terms) and a National Assembly (450 seats; members
presently appointed, but in the future 75% of members to be directly
elected and 25% elected in special or indirect elections; to serve
six-year terms)
elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held 2009)
election results: NCP 355, others 5; note - replaced by appointments
under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement
Suriname
unicameral National Assembly or Nationale Assemblee (51
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 25 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NF 39.7%, NDP 22.2%,
VVV 13.8%, A-Com 7.2%, A-1 5.9%, other 11.2%; seats by party - NF
23, NDP 15, VVV 5, A-Com 5, A-1 3
Swaziland
bicameral Parliament or Libandla consists of the Senate
(30 seats; 10 members appointed by the House of Assembly and 20
appointed by the monarch; to serve five-year terms) and the House of
Assembly (65 seats; 10 members appointed by the monarch and 55
elected by popular vote; to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 19 September 2008 (next to
be held in 2013)
election results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a
nonparty basis; candidates for election are nominated by the local
council of each constituency and for each constituency the three
candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are
narrowed to a single winner by a second round
Sweden
unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; members are
elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 17 September 2006 (next to be held in
September 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - Social Democrats 37.2%,
Moderates 27.8%, Center Party 8.3%, Liberal People's Party 8.0%,
Christian Democrats 6.9%, Left Party 6.3%, Greens 5.4%; seats by
party - Social Democrats 130, Moderates 97, Center Party 29, Liberal
People's Party 28, Christian Democrats 24, Left Party 22, Greens 19
Switzerland
bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in
German), Assemblee Federale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in
Italian) consists of the Council of States or Standerat (in German),
Conseil des Etats (in French), Consiglio degli Stati (in Italian)
(46 seats; membership consists of 2 representatives from each canton
and 1 from each half canton; to serve four-year terms) and the
National Council or Nationalrat (in German), Conseil National (in
French), Consiglio Nazionale (in Italian) (200 seats; members are
elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation
to serve four-year terms)
elections: Council of States - last held in most cantons on 19
October 2003 (each canton determines when the next election will be
held); National Council - last held on 21 October 2007 (next to be
held in October 2011)
election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - CVP 15, FDP 14, SVP 8, SPS 6, other 3; National
Council - percent of vote by party - SVP 29%, SPS 19.5%, FDP 15.6%,
CVP 14.6%, Greens 9.6%, other 11.7%; seats by party - SVP 62, SPS
43, FDP 31, CVP 31, Green Party 20, other small parties 13; note -
seating for the Council of States as of December 2007 is CVP 16, FDP
12, SVP 7, SPS 9, other 2
Syria
unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 22-23 April 2007 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
NPF 172, independents 78
Taiwan
unicameral Legislative Yuan (113 seats - 73 district members
elected by popular vote, 34 at-large members elected on basis of
proportion of islandwide votes received by participating political
parties, 6 elected by popular vote among aboriginal populations; to
serve four-year terms); parties must receive 5% of vote to qualify
for at-large seats
elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 12 January 2008 (next to be
held in January 2012)
election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - KMT
53.5%, DPP 38.2%, NPSU 2.4%, PFP 0.3%, others 1.6%, independents 4%;
seats by party - KMT 81, DPP 27, NPSU 3, PFP 1, independent 1
Tajikistan
bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the
National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (34 seats; 25
members selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; 1
seat reserved for the former president; to serve five-year terms)
and the Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi
Namoyandagon (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly - last held 25 March 2005 (next to be
held in February 2010); Assembly of Representatives 27 February and
13 March 2005 (next to be held in February 2010)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - PDPT 29, CPT 2, independents 3; Assembly of
Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 74.9%, CPT 13.6%,
Islamic Revival Party 8.9%, other 2.5%; seats by party - PDPT 51,
CPT 5, Islamic Revival Party 2, independents 5
Tanzania
unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (274 seats; 232
members elected by popular vote, 37 allocated to women nominated by
the president, 5 to members of the Zanzibar House of
Representatives; to serve five-year terms); note - in addition to
enacting laws that apply to the entire United Republic of Tanzania,
the Assembly enacts laws that apply only to the mainland; Zanzibar
has its own House of Representatives to make laws especially for
Zanzibar (the Zanzibar House of Representatives has 50 seats elected
by universal suffrage to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 December 2005 (next to be held in December
2010)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - CCM 206, CUF 19, CHADEMA 5, other 2, women
appointed by the president 37, Zanzibar representatives 5 Zanzibar
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - CCM 30, CUF 19; 1 seat was nullified with a rerun to take
place soon
Thailand
bicameral National Assembly or Rathasapha consisted of the
Senate or Wuthisapha (150 seats; 76 members elected by popular vote
representing 76 provinces, 74 appointed by judges and independent
government bodies; all serve six-year terms) and the House of
Representatives or Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon (480 seats; 400 members
elected from 157 multi-seat constituencies and 80 elected on
proportional party-list basis of 10 per eight zones or groupings of
provinces; all serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 2 March 2008 (next to be held in
March 2014); House of Representatives - last election held on 23
December 2007 (next to be held in December 2011)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - NA; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - PPP 233, DP 164, TNP 34, Motherland 24, Middle
Way 11, Unity 9, Royalist People's 5
note: 74 senators were appointed on 19 February 2008 by a
seven-member committee headed by the chief of the Constitutional
Court; 76 senators were elected on 2 March 2008; elections to the
Senate are non-partisan; registered political party members are
disqualified from being senators
Timor-Leste
unicameral National Parliament (number of seats can vary
from 52 to 65; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held on 30 June 2007 (next elections due by June
2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - FRETILIN 29%, CNRT
24.1%, ASDT-PSD 15.8%, PD 11.3%, PUN 4.5%, KOTA-PPT (Democratic
Alliance) 3.2%, UNTERDIM 3.2%, others 8.9%; seats by party -
FRETILIN 21, CNRT 18, ASDT-PSD 11, PD 8, PUN 3, KOTA-PPT 2, UNDERTIM
2
Togo
unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 14 October 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - RPT 39.4%, UFC 37.0%,
CAR 8.2%, independents 2.5%, other 12.9%; seats by party - RPT 50,
UFC 27, CAR 4
Tokelau
unicameral General Fono (20 seats; based upon proportional
representation from the three islands elected by popular vote to
serve three-year terms; Atafu has seven seats, Fakaofo has seven
seats, Nukunonu has six seats); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of
1996 confers limited legislative power on the General Fono
elections: last held 17-19 January 2008 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: independents 20
Tonga
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (32 seats - 14
reserved for cabinet ministers sitting ex officio, nine for nobles
selected by the country's 33 nobles, and nine elected by popular
vote; members serve three-year terms)
elections: last held on 23-24 April 2008 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: Peoples Representatives: percent of vote -
independents 54%, THRDM 28%, PDP 14%; seats - THRDM 4, independents
3, PDP 2
Trinidad and Tobago
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31
seats; 16 members appointed by the ruling party, nine by the
President, six by the opposition party to serve a maximum term of
five years) and the House of Representatives (41 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held on 5 November 2007
(next to be held in 2012)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM
46%, UNC 29.7%; seats by party - PNM 26, UNC 15
note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members
serving four-year terms; last election held in January 2005; seats
by party - PNM 11, DAC 1
Tunisia
bicameral system consists of the Chamber of Deputies or
Majlis al-Nuwaab (189 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Advisors (126 seats; 85
members elected by municipal counselors, deputies, mayors, and
professional associations and trade unions; 41 members are
presidential appointees; members serve six-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Deputies - last held on 24 October 2004 (next
to be held in October 2009); Chamber of Advisors - last held on 3
July 2005 (next to be held in July 2011)
election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - RCD 152, MDS 14, PUP 11, UDU 7, Al-Tajdid 3,
PSL 2; Chamber of Advisors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - RCD 71 (14 trade union seats vacant (due to boycott))
Turkey
unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk
Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 22 July 2007 (next to be held on November
2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 46.7%, CHP 20.8%,
MHP 14.3%, independents 5.2%, and other 13.0%; seats by party - AKP
341, CHP 112, MHP 71, independents 26; note - seats by party as of
17 December 2007 - AKP 340, CHP 87, MHP 70, DTP 20, DSP 13,
independents 6, other 12, vacant 2 (DTP entered parliament as
independents; DSP entered parliament on CHP's party list); only
parties surpassing the 10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary
seats
Turkmenistan
two parliamentary bodies, a People's Council or Halk
Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of about 2,500 delegates, some
elected by popular vote and some appointed; meets at least yearly)
and a National Assembly or Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003 (next to be
held in December 2008); National Assembly - last held 19 December
2004 (next to be held in December 2008)
election results: People's Council - percent of vote by party - DPT
100%; seats by party - DPT 2,507; National Assembly - percent of
vote by party - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note - all
elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of
Turkmenistan and are preapproved by the president
note: in late 2003, a law was adopted reducing the powers of the
National Assembly and making the People's Council the supreme
legislative organ; the People's Council can now legally dissolve the
National Assembly, and the president is now able to participate in
the National Assembly as its supreme leader; the National Assembly
can no longer adopt or amend the constitution or announce
referendums or its elections; since the president is both the
chairman of the People's Council and the supreme leader of the
National Assembly, the 2003 law has the effect of making him the
sole authority of both the executive and legislative branches of
government
Turks and Caicos Islands
unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats of
which 15 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 9 February 2007 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 60%, PDM 40%; seats
by party - PNP 13, PDM 2
Tuvalu
unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of
Assembly (15 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 August 2006 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 15
Uganda
unicameral National Assembly (332 seats; 215 members elected
by popular vote, 104 nominated by legally established special
interest groups [women 79, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5],
13 ex officio members; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
NRM 191, FDC 37, UPC 9, DP 8, CP 1, JEEMA 1, independents 36, other
49
Ukraine
unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats;
members allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain
3% or more of the national electoral vote; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 30 September 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party/bloc - Party of Regions
34.4%, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 30.7%, Our Ukraine-People's Self
Defense 14.2%, CPU 5.4%, Lytvyn bloc 4%, other parties 11.3%; seats
by party/bloc - Party of Regions 175, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 156,
Our Ukraine-People's Self Defense 72, CPU 27, Lytvyn bloc 20
United Arab Emirates
unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or
Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; 20 members appointed by the
rulers of the constituent states, 20 members elected to serve
two-year terms)
elections: elections for one half of the FNC (the other half remains
appointed) held in the UAE on 18-20 December 2006; the new electoral
college - a body of 6,689 Emiratis (including 1,189 women) appointed
by the rulers of the seven emirates - were the only eligible voters
and candidates; 456 candidates including 65 women ran for 20
contested FNC seats; one female from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi won a
seat
note: reviews legislation but cannot change or veto
United Kingdom
bicameral Parliament consists of House of Lords (618
seats; consisting of approximately 500 life peers, 92 hereditary
peers, and 26 clergy) and House of Commons (646 seats since 2005
elections; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms unless the House is dissolved earlier)
elections: House of Lords - no elections (note - in 1999, as
provided by the House of Lords Act, elections were held in the House
of Lords to determine the 92 hereditary peers who would remain
there; elections are held only as vacancies in the hereditary
peerage arise); House of Commons - last held 5 May 2005 (next to be
held by May 2010)
election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party -
Labor 35.2%, Conservative 32.3%, Liberal Democrats 22%, other 10.5%;
seats by party - Labor 355, Conservative 198, Liberal Democrat 62,
other 31; seats by party in the House of Commons as of 4 June 2008 -
Labor 351, Conservative 192, Liberal Democrat 63, Scottish National
Party/Plaid Cymru 9, Democratic Unionist 9, Sinn Fein 5, other 17
note: in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Assembly
(because of unresolved disputes among existing parties, the transfer
of power from London to Northern Ireland came only at the end of
1999 and has been suspended four times, the latest occurring in
October 2002 and lasting until 8 May 2007); in 1999, the UK held the
first elections for a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly, the
most recent of which were held in May 2007
United States
bicameral Congress consists of the Senate (100 seats,
2 members are elected from each state by popular vote to serve
six-year terms; one-third are elected every two years) and the House
of Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by
popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held
November 2008); House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2006
(next to be held November 2008)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - Democratic Party 49, Republican Party 49, independent 2;
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - Democratic Party 233, Republican Party 202
Uruguay
bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General consists of
Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (30 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; vice president has
one vote in the Senate) and Chamber of Representatives or Camara de
Representantes (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 31 October 2004 (next to
be held October 2009); Chamber of Representatives - last held 31
October 2004 (next to be held October 2009)
election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - EP-FA 16, Blanco 11, Colorado Party 3; Chamber
of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
EP-FA 52, Blanco 36, Colorado Party 10, Independent Party 1
Uzbekistan
bicameral Supreme Assembly or Oliy Majlis consists of an
upper house or Senate (100 seats; 84 members are elected by regional
governing councils and 16 appointed by the president; to serve
five-year terms) and a lower house or Legislative Chamber (120
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 26 December 2004 and 9 January 2005 (next to be
held December 2009)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - NA; Legislative Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - LDPU 41, NDP 32, Fidokorlar 17, MTP 11, Adolat 9,
unaffiliated 10
note: all parties in the Supreme Assembly support President KARIMOV
Vanuatu
unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 2 September 2008 (next to be held 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - VP
11, NUP 8, UMP 7, VRP 7, PPP 4, GC 2, MPP 1, NA 1, NAG 1, PAP 1,
Shepherds Alliance 1, VFFP 1, VLP 1, VNP 1, VPRFP 1, and independent
4; note - political party associations are fluid
note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of culture
and language
Venezuela
unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (167
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms;
three seats reserved for the indigenous peoples of Venezuela)
elections: last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
pro-government 167 (MVR 114, PODEMOS 15, PPT 11, indigenous 2, other
25), opposition 0; total seats by party as of 1 January 2008 -
pro-government 152 (PSUV 114, PPT 11, indigenous 2, other 25),
PODEMOS 15
Vietnam
unicameral National Assembly or Quoc Hoi (500 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 20 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
CPV 450, non-party CPV-approved 42, self-nominated 1; note - 493
candidates were elected; CPV and non-party CPV-approved delegates
were members of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front
Virgin Islands
unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
Democratic Party 8, ICM 4, independent 3
note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the
US House of Representatives; election last held 7 November 2006
(next to be held November 2008)
Wallis and Futuna
unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee
Territoriale (20 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 11 March 2002 (next to be held 22 April 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
RPR and affiliates 13, Socialists and affiliates 7
note: Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and
one deputy to the French National Assembly; French Senate -
elections last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held by September
2010); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - RPR (now
UMP) 1; French National Assembly - elections last held 17 June 2007
(next to be held by 2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats - PS 1