unicameral Territorial Council or Conseil
Territorial (19 seats, 15 from Saint Pierre and four from Miquelon;
members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: elections last held 19 and 26 in March 2006 (next to be
held in March 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AD
16, Cap sur l'Avenir 2, SPM 2000/AM 1
note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect one seat to the French Senate;
elections last held 21 September 2008 (next to be held in September
2014); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP
1; Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects one seat to the French
National Assembly; elections last held, first round - 10 June 2007,
second round - 17 June 2007 (next to be held in 2012); results -
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Left Radical Party 1
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
unicameral House of Assembly (21
seats, 15 elected representatives and six appointed senators;
representatives are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 7 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - ULP 55.3%, NDP 44.7%;
seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3
Samoa
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats, 47 elected
by voters affiliated with traditional village-based electoral
districts, 2 elected by independent, mostly non-Samoan or
part-Samoan, voters who cannot, (or choose not to) establish a
village affiliation; only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to
the Fono from the 47 village-based electorates; members serve
five-year terms)
elections: election last held 31 March 2006 (next election to be
held not later than March 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
HRPP 35, SDUP 10, independents 4
San Marino
unicameral Grand and General Council or Consiglio Grande
e Generale (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 9 November 2008 (next to be held by June 2013)
election results: percent of vote by party - Pact for San Marino
coalition 54.2%: PDCS 31.9%, AP 11.5%, Freedom List 6.3%, San Marino
Union of Moderates 4.2%; Reforms and Freedom coalition 45.8%: Party
of Socialists and Democrats 32%, United Left 8.6%, Democrats of the
Center 4.9%; seats by party - Pact for San Marino coalition 35: PDCS
22, AP 7, the Freedom List 4, San Marino Union of Moderates 2;
Reforms and Freedom coalition 25: Party of Socialists and Democrats
18, United Left 5, Democrats of the Center 2
Sao Tome and Principe
unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia
Nacional (55 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held on 26 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - MDFM-PCD 37.2%, MLSTP
28.9%, ADI 20.0%, NR 4.7%, others 9.2%; seats by party - MDFM-PCD
23, MLSTP 19, ADI 12, NR 1
Saudi Arabia
Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (150 members
and a chairman appointed by the monarch for four-year terms); note -
though the Council of Ministers announced in October 2003 its intent
to introduce elections for half of the members of local and
provincial assemblies and a third of the members of the national
Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura incrementally over a period
of four to five years, to date no such elections have been held or
announced
Senegal
bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate, reinstituted
in 2007, (100 seats; 35 indirectly elected with the remaining 65
members to be appointed by the president) and the National Assembly
or Assemblee Nationale (150 seats; 90 members elected by direct
popular vote with the remaining members elected by proportional
representation from party lists to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 19 August 2007 (next to be held - NA);
National Assembly - last held on 3 June 2007 (next to be held 2012);
note - the National Assembly in December 2005 voted to postpone
legislative elections originally scheduled for 2006; legislative
elections were first rescheduled to coincide with the 25 February
2007 presidential elections and later rescheduled for 3 June 2007;
the June election was boycotted by 12 opposition parties, including
the former ruling Socialist Party, which resulted in a record-low
35% voter turnout
election results: Senate results - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - PDS 34, AJ/PADS 1, 65 appointed by the president;
National Assembly results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - SOPI Coalition 131, other 19
Serbia
unicameral National Assembly (250 seats; deputies elected
according to party lists to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 May 2008 (next to be held in May 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - For a European Serbia
coalition 38.4%, SRS 29.5%, DSS-NS 11.6%, SPS-led coalition 7.6%,
LPD 5.2%, other 7.7%; seats by party - For a European Serbia
coalition 102, SRS 77, DSS-NS 30, SNS 21, SPS-led coalition 20, LDP
13, other 7; note - the seat allocation for the SNS and SRS is
uncertain because of an ongoing dispute with the SRS
Seychelles
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (34
seats; 25 members elected by popular vote, 9 allocated on a
proportional basis to parties winning at least 10% of the vote; to
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 10-12 May 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - SPPF 56.2%, SNP 43.8%;
seats by party - SPPF 23, SNP 11
Sierra Leone
unicameral Parliament (124 seats; 112 members elected
by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate
elections; serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
APC 59, SLPP 43, PMDC 10
Singapore
unicameral Parliament (84 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - in addition, there
are up to nine nominated members; up to three losing opposition
candidates who came closest to winning seats may be appointed as
"nonconstituency" members
elections: last held on 6 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 66.6%, WP 16.3%,
SDA 13%, SDP 4.1%; seats by party - PAP 82, WP 1, SDA 1
Slovakia
unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or
Narodna Rada Slovenskej Republiky (150 seats; members are elected on
the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 June 2006 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - Smer 29.1%, SDKU 18.4%,
SMK 11.7%, SNS 11.7%, LS-HZDS 8.8%, KDH 8.3%, other 12%; seats by
party - Smer 50, SDKU-DS 31, SMK 20, SNS 19, LS-HZDS 16, KDH 14;
note - seats by party as of December 2008 - Smer 50, SDKU-DS 28, SMK
20, SNS 19, LS-HZDS 15, KDH 9, nonaffiliated 9
Slovenia
bicameral Parliament consists of a National Council or
Drzavni Svet (40 seats; members indirectly elected by an electoral
college to serve five-year terms; note - this is primarily an
advisory body with limited legislative powers; it may propose laws,
ask to review any National Assembly decision, and call national
referenda) and the National Assembly or Drzavni Zbor (90 seats; 40
members are directly elected and 50 are elected on a proportional
basis; note - the number of directly elected and proportionally
elected seats varies with each election; the constitution mandates 1
seat each for Slovenia's Hungarian and Italian minorities; members
are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: National Assembly - last held 21 September 2008 (next to
be held 8 October 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - SD 30.5%, SDS 29.3%,
ZARES 9.4%, DeSUS 7.5%, SNS 5.5%, SLS+SMS 5.2%, LDS 5.2%, other
7.4%; seats by party - SD 29, SDS 28, ZARES 9, DeSUS 7, SNS 5,
SLS+SMS 5, LDS 5, Hungarian minority 1, Italian minority 1
Solomon Islands
unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members
elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held on 5 April 2006 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - National Party 6.9%,
PAP 6.3%, SIPRA 6.3%, Liberal 5%, Democratic 4.9%, SOCRED 4.3%,
LAFARI 2.8%, independents 60.3%; seats by party - National Party 4,
SIPRA 4, Democratic 3, PAP 3, LAFARI 2, Liberal 2, SOCRED 2,
independents 30
Somalia
unicameral National Assembly
note: unicameral Transitional Federal Assembly (TFA) (550 seats; 475
members appointed according to the 4.5 clan formula, with the
remaining 75 seats reserved for civil society and business persons)
South Africa
bicameral Parliament consisting of 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) and the National
Assembly (400 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a
system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms);
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 22 April 2009 (next to be held in April 2014)
election results: National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote
by party - ANC 65.9%, DA 16.7%, COPE 7.4%, IFP 4.6%, other 5.4%;
seats by party - ANC 264, DA 67, COPE 30, IFP 18, other 21
Spain
bicameral; General Courts or Las Cortes Generales (National
Assembly) 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 not
later than March 2012); Congress of Deputies - last held on 9 March
2008 (next to be held not later than 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 United People's Freedom 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 60% from geographic
constituencies, 25% from a women's list, and 15% from party lists;
to serve six-year terms)
elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held February
2010)
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; 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 in October
2007 (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 12, SVP 7, SPS 9, 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
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 December 2011 or 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 by 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%, UNDERTIM 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 to 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, 9 for nobles
selected by the country's 33 nobles, and 9 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, 9 by the President,
6 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 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); and the
Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab (214 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Advisors - last held on 3 July 2005 (next to
be held in July 2011); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 25 October
2009 (next to be held in October 2014);
election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - RCD 161, MDS 16, PUP 12, UDU 9, PSL 8, PVP 6,
Et-Tajdid 2; voter turnout 89.4%
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 in 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
31 January 2009 - AKP 340, CHP 97, MHP 70, DTP 21, DSP 13, ODP 1,
BBP 1, independents 5, 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
unicameral parliament known as the National Assembly
(Mejlis) (125 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 December 2008 (next to be held December 2013)
election results: 100% of elected officials are members of either
the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or its pseudo-civil society
parent organization, the Revival Movement, and are preapproved by
the president
note: in autumn 2008, the constitution of Turkmenistan was revised
to abolish the 2,507-member legislative body known as the People's
Council and to expand the number of deputies in the National
Assembly from 65 to 125; the powers formerly held by the People's
Council were divided up between the president and the National
Assembly
Turks and Caicos Islands
under provisions of the Order in Council,
the unicameral House of Assembly is dissolved and all seats vacated
for a period of up to two years; in the interim, a Consultative
Forum, appointed by the governor, will be established
elections: last held 9 February 2007 (next to be held by July 2011)
election results: under provisions of the Order in Council, all
seats in the House of Assembly are vacated