based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative
acts
Ethiopia
currently transitional mix of national and regional courts
Europa Island
the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
English common law
Faroe Islands
Danish
Fiji
based on British system
Finland
civil law system based on Swedish law; the president may
request the Supreme Court to review laws; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
France
civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of
administrative but not legislative acts
French Guiana
French legal system
French Polynesia
based on French system
French Southern and Antarctic Lands
the laws of France, where
applicable, apply
Gabon
based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme
Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Gambia, The
based on a composite of English common law, Koranic law,
and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Georgia
based on civil law system
Germany
civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review
of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Ghana
based on English common law and customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Gibraltar
English law
Glorioso Islands
the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Greece
based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil,
criminal, and administrative courts
Greenland
Danish
Grenada
based on English common law
Guadeloupe
French legal system
Guam
modeled on US; US federal laws apply
Guatemala
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Guernsey
English law and local statutes; justice is administered by
the Royal Court
Guinea
based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree;
legal codes currently being revised; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Guinea-Bissau
NA
Guyana
based on English common law with certain admixtures of
Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Haiti
based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
the laws of Australia, where
applicable, apply
Holy See (Vatican City)
based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to
it
Honduras
rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law with increasing
influence of English common law; recent judicial reforms include
abandoning Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarial
system; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Hong Kong
based on English common law
Howland Island
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Hungary
rule of law based on Western model
Iceland
civil law system based on Danish law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
India
based on English common law; limited judicial review of
legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations; separate personal law codes apply to Muslims,
Christians, and Hindus
Indonesia
based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified by
indigenous concepts and by new criminal procedures and election
codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Iran
the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government
Iraq
based on civil and Islamic law under the Iraqi Interim
Government (IG) and Transitional Administrative Law (TAL)
Ireland
based on English common law, substantially modified by
indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme
Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Israel
mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations,
and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal
systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that
it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Italy
based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials;
judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Jamaica
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Jan Mayen
the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply
Japan
modeled after European civil law system with English-American
influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Jarvis Island
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Jersey
English law and local statute; justice is administered by the
Royal Court
Johnston Atoll
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Jordan
based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of
legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Juan de Nova Island
the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Kazakhstan
based on civil law system
Kenya
based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law,
tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional
amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in
1991
Kingman Reef
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Kiribati
NA
Korea, North
based on German civil law system with Japanese
influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of
legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Korea, South
combines elements of continental European civil law
systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought
Kuwait
civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal
matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Kyrgyzstan
based on civil law system
Laos
based on traditional customs, French legal norms and
procedures, and socialist practice
Latvia
based on civil law system
Lebanon
mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and
civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Lesotho
based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial
review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Liberia
dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common
law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten
tribal practices for indigenous sector
Libya
based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law; separate
religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of
legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Liechtenstein
local civil and penal codes; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Lithuania
based on civil law system; legislative acts can be
appealed to the constitutional court
Luxembourg
based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Macau
based on Portuguese civil law system
Macedonia
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts
Madagascar
based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy
law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Malawi
based on English common law and customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Malaysia
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative
acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the
federation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Maldives
based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law
primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Mali
based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court (which was
formally established on 9 March 1994); has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
Malta
based on English common law and Roman civil law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Man, Isle of
English common law and Manx statute
Marshall Islands
based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the
legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
Martinique
French legal system
Mauritania
a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil
law
Mauritius
based on French civil law system with elements of English
common law in certain areas
Mayotte
French law
Mexico
mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system;
judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Micronesia, Federated States of
based on adapted Trust Territory
laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
Midway Islands
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Moldova
based on civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews
legality of legislative acts and governmental decisions of
resolution; it is unclear if Moldova accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction but accepts many UN and Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents
Monaco
based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Mongolia
blend of Soviet, German, and US systems that combine
"continental" or "civil" code and case-precedent; constitution
ambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Montserrat
English common law and statutory law
Morocco
based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law
system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional
Chamber of Supreme Court
Mozambique
based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law
Namibia
based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution
Nauru
acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law
Navassa Island
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Nepal
based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Netherlands
civil law system incorporating French penal theory;
constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States
General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Netherlands Antilles
based on Dutch civil law system with some
English common law influence
New Caledonia
the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy
to the islands; formerly under French law
New Zealand
based on English law, with special land legislation and
land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with
reservations
Nicaragua
civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative
acts
Niger
based on French civil law system and customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Nigeria
based on English common law, Islamic Shariah law (in 12
northern states), and traditional law
Niue
English common law
note: Niue is self-governing, with the power to make its own laws
Norfolk Island
based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and
acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either
Australian or Norfolk Island law
Northern Mariana Islands
based on US system, except for customs,
wages, immigration laws, and taxation
Norway
mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law
traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature
when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Oman
based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to
the monarch; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Pakistan
based on English common law with provisions to accommodate
Pakistan's status as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Palau
based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature,
municipal, common, and customary laws
Palmyra Atoll
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Panama
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts in the Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Papua New Guinea
based on English common law
Paraguay
based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes;
judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice
Peru
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Philippines
based on Spanish and Anglo-American law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Pitcairn Islands
local island by-laws
Poland
mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and holdover
Communist legal theory; changes being gradually introduced as part
of broader democratization process; limited judicial review of
legislative acts, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are
final; court decisions can be appealed to the European Court of
Justice in Strasbourg
Portugal
civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the
constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Puerto Rico
based on Spanish civil code and within the US Federal
system of justice
Qatar
discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although
civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law dominates family and
personal matters
Reunion
French law
Romania
former mixture of civil law system and communist legal
theory; is now based on the constitution of France's Fifth Republic
Russia
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Rwanda
based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary
law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Saint Helena
NA
Saint Kitts and Nevis
based on English common law
Saint Lucia
based on English common law
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
French law with special adaptations for
local conditions, such as housing and taxation
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
based on English common law
Samoa
based on English common law and local customs; judicial review
of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the
citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
San Marino
based on civil law system with Italian law influences;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Sao Tome and Principe
based on Portuguese legal system and customary
law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Saudi Arabia
based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been
introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Senegal
based on French civil law system; judicial review of
legislative acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of State
audits the government's accounting office; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Serbia and Montenegro
based on civil law system
Seychelles
based on English common law, French civil law, and
customary law
Sierra Leone
based on English law and customary laws indigenous to
local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Singapore
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
Slovakia
civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to comply
with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
Slovenia
based on civil law system
Solomon Islands
English common law, which is widely disregarded
Somalia
no national system; Shari'a and secular courts are in some
localities
South Africa
based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
the laws of the UK,
where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland
Islands presides over the Magistrates Court
Spain
civil law system, with regional applications; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Sri Lanka
a highly complex mixture of English common law,
Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Sudan
based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January
1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic
law in the northern states; Islamic law applies to all residents of
the northern states regardless of their religion; some separate
religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suriname
based on Dutch legal system incorporating French penal
theory
Svalbard
NA
Swaziland
based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts
and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Sweden
civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Switzerland
civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees
of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Syria
based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious
courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Taiwan
based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Tajikistan
based on civil law system; no judicial review of
legislative acts
Tanzania
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative
acts limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Thailand
based on civil law system, with influences of common law;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Togo
French-based court system
Tokelau
New Zealand and local statutes
Tonga
based on English law
Trinidad and Tobago
based on English common law; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
Tromelin Island
the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Tunisia
based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some
judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint
session
Turkey
civil law system derived from various European continental
legal systems; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations; note - member of the European Court of Human Rights
(ECHR), although Turkey claims limited derogations on the ratified
European Convention on Human Rights
Turkmenistan
based on civil law system
Turks and Caicos Islands
based on laws of England and Wales, with a
few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas
Tuvalu
NA
Uganda
in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one
based on English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Ukraine
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts
United Arab Emirates
federal court system introduced in 1971;
applies to all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah,
which are not fully integrated into the federal system; all emirates
have secular courts to adjudicate criminal, civil, and commercial
matters and Islamic courts to review family and religious disputes
United Kingdom
common law tradition with early Roman and modern
continental influences; has judicial review of Acts of Parliament
under the Human Rights Act of 1998; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
United States
federal court system based on English common law; each
state has its own unique legal system, of which all but one
(Louisiana's) is based on English common law; judicial review of
legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with
reservations
Uruguay
based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Uzbekistan
evolution of Soviet civil law; still lacks independent
judicial system
Vanuatu
unified system being created from former dual French and
British systems
Venezuela
open, adversarial court system
Vietnam
based on communist legal theory and French civil law system
Virgin Islands
based on US laws
Wake Island
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Wallis and Futuna
French legal system
World
all members of the UN are parties to the statute that
established the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court
Yemen
based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and
local tribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Zambia
based on English common law and customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts in an ad hoc constitutional council; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Zimbabwe
mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@2101 Legislative branch
Afghanistan
nonfunctioning as of January 2004; government is
empowered by the constitution to issue legislation by decree until
the new assembly is seated; under the new constitution, the
bicameral National Assembly will consist of the Wolesi Jirga or
House of People (no more than 249 seats), directly elected for a
five-year term, and the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102
seats, one third elected from provincial councils for a four-year
term, one third elected from local district councils for a
three-year term, and one third presidential appointees for a
five-year term; the presidential appointees will include two
representatives of Kuchis and two representatives of the disabled;
half of the presidential appointees will be women)
note: on rare occasions the government may convene the Loya Jirga on
issues of independence, national sovereignty, and territorial
integrity; it can amend the provisions of the constitution and
prosecute the president; it is made up of members of the National
Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and district councils
elections: scheduled for spring 2005
Albania
unicameral People's Assembly or Kuvendi Popullor (140 seats;
100 are elected by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote
for four-year terms)
elections: last held 4 July 2005 (next to be held July 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PD 55, PS 40, PR 11, PSD 7, LSI 5, other 22
Algeria
bicameral Parliament consists of the National People's
Assembly or Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani (389 seats - changed from
380 seats in the 2002 elections; members elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms) and the Council of Nations (Senate) (144
seats; one-third of the members appointed by the president,
two-thirds elected by indirect vote; members serve six-year terms;
the constitution requires half the council to be renewed every three
years)
elections: National People's Assembly - last held 30 May 2002 (next
to be held NA 2007); Council of Nations (Senate) - last held 30
December 2003 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results: National People's Assembly - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - FLN 199, RND 48, Islah 43, MSP 38, PT
21, FNA 8, EnNahda 1, PRA 1, MEN 1, independents 29; Council of
Nations - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party NA%
American Samoa
bicameral Fono or Legislative Assembly consists of
the House of Representatives (21 seats - 20 of which are elected by
popular vote and 1 is an appointed, nonvoting delegate from Swains
Island; members serve two-year terms) and the Senate (18 seats;
members are elected from local chiefs and serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 2 November 2004
(next to be held November 2006); Senate - last held 2 November 2004
(next to be held November 2008)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Senate - percent of vote by party
- NA%; seats by party - independents 18
note: American Samoa elects one nonvoting representative to the US
House of Representatives; election last held 2 November 2004 (next
to be held November 2006); results - Eni F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA
(Democrat) reelected as delegate
Andorra
unicameral General Council of the Valleys or Consell General
de las Valls (28 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote,
14 from a single national constituency and 14 to represent each of
the 7 parishes; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held March-April 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - PLA 41.2%, PS 38.1%,
CDA 11%, other 9.7%; seats by party - PLA 14, PS 12, CDA 2
Angola
unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (220
seats; members elected by proportional vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 29-30 September 1992 (next to be held September
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - MPLA 54%, UNITA 34%,
others 12%; seats by party - MPLA 129, UNITA 70, PRS 6, FNLA 5, PLD
3, others 7
Anguilla
unicameral House of Assembly (11 seats total, 7 elected by
direct popular vote, 2 ex officio members, and 2 appointed; members
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 21 February 2005 (next to be held 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - AUF 38.9%, ANSA 19.2%,
AUM 19.4%, APP 9.5 %, independents 13%; seats by party - AUF 4, ANSA
2, AUM 1
Antigua and Barbuda
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate
(17-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of
Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional
representation to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 23 March 2004 (next
to be held NA 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
ALP 4, UPP 13
Argentina
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists
of the Senate (72 seats; members are elected by direct vote;
presently one-third of the members elected every two years to a
six-year term) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; members are
elected by direct vote; one-half of the members elected every two
years to a four-year term)
elections: Senate - last held intermittently by province during the
2nd half of 2003 (next to be held NA 2005); Chamber of Deputies -
last held intermittently by province during the 2nd half of 2003
(next to be held NA 2005)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA%;
seats by bloc or party - PJ 41, UCR 16, provincial parties 15;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA%; seats
by bloc or party - PJ 133, UCR 46, IF 23, ARI 11, Socialist 6,
other/provincial parties 38
Armenia
unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov
(131 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year
terms; 75 members elected by party list, 56 by direct vote)
elections: last held 25 May 2003 (next to be held in the spring of
2007)
note: percent of vote by party - Republican Party 23.5%, Justice
Bloc 13.6%, Rule of Law 12.3%, ARF (Dashnak) 11.4%, National Unity
Party 8.8%, United Labor Party 5.7%; seats by party - Republican
Party 23, Justice Bloc 14, Rule of Law 12, ARF (Dashnak) 11,
National Unity 9, United Labor 6; note - seats by party change
frequently as deputies switch parties or announce themselves
independent
Aruba
unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by
direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 23 September 2005 (next to be held by NA 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 43%, AVP 32%, MPA
7%, RED 7%, PDR 6%, OLA 4%, PPA 2%; seats by party - MEP 11, AVP 8,
MPA 1, RED 1
Australia
bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76
seats - 12 from each of the six states and two from each of the two
mainland territories; one-half of state members are elected every
three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms while all
territory members are elected every three years) and the House of
Representatives (150 seats; members elected by popular preferential
voting to serve terms of up to three-years; no state can have fewer
than five representatives)
elections: Senate - last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held no
later than June 2008); House of Representatives - last held 9
October 2004 (next to be called no later than November 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party (for session beginning on 1 July 2005) - Liberal
Party-National Party coalition 39, Australian Labor Party 28,
Democrats 4, Australian Greens 4, Family First Party 1; House of
Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Liberal Party-National Party coalition 87, Australian Labor Party
60, independents 3
Austria
bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of
Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 members; members represent each of
the states on the basis of population, but with each state having at
least three representatives; members serve a five- or six-year term)
and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected
by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: National Council - last held 24 November 2002 (next to be
held in the fall of 2006)
election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - OeVP
42.3%, SPOe 36.5%, FPOe 10.0%, Greens 9.5%; seats by party - OeVP
79, SPOe 69, FPOe 18, Greens 17; seating as of May 2005 after split
within the Freedom Party: OeVP 79, SPOe 69, Greens 17, BZOe 11, FPOe
7
Azerbaijan
unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 4 November 2000 (next to be held NA November
2005)
note: 100 members of the current parliament were elected on the
basis of single mandate constituencies, while 25 were elected based
on proportional balloting; as a result of a 24 August 2002 national
referendum on changes to the constitution, all 125 members of the
next parliament will be elected from single mandate constituencies
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NAP and allies 108, APF "Reform" 6, CSP 3, PNIA 2, Musavat Party 2,
CPA 2, APF "Classic" 1, Compatriot Party 1
note: PNIA, Musavat, and APF "Classic" parties refused to take their
seats
Bahamas, The
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16-member
body appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime
minister and the opposition leader for five-year terms) and the
House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote
to serve five-year terms); the government may dissolve the
parliament and call elections at any time
elections: last held 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 50.8%, FNM 41.1%,
independents 5.2%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 7, independents 4
Bahrain
bicameral Parliament consists of Shura Council (40 members
appointed by the King) and House of Deputies (40 members directly
elected to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Deputies - last held 31 October 2002 (next
election to be held NA 2006)
election results: House of Deputies - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - independents 21, Sunni Islamists 9, other 10
note: first elections since 7 December 1973; unicameral National
Assembly dissolved 26 August 1975; National Action Charter created
bicameral legislature on 23 December 2000; approved by referendum 14
February 2001; first legislative session of Parliament held on 25
December 2002
Bangladesh
unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300
seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies
(the constitutional amendment reserving 30 seats for women over and
above the 300 regular parliament seats expired in May 2001); members
serve five-year terms
elections: last held 1 October 2001 (next to be held before October
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance
partners 47%, AL 40%; seats by party - BNP 195, AL 58, JI 17, JP
(Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 3, JP (Naziur) 4, other 9; note - the
election of October 2001 brought a majority BNP government aligned
with three other smaller parties - Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Oikya
Jote, and Jatiya Party (Manzur)
Barbados
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body
appointed by the governor general) and the House of Assembly (30
seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 21 May 2003 (next to be
held by May 2008)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - BLP 23, DLP 7
Belarus
bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobranie
consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64
seats; 56 members elected by regional councils and 8 members
appointed by the president, all for 4-year terms) and the Chamber of
Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members elected
by universal adult suffrage to serve 4-year terms)
elections: last held 18 March and 1 April 2001 and 17 and 31 October
2004; international observers widely denounced the October 2004
elections as flawed and undemocratic, based on massive government
falsification; pro-Lukashenko candidates won every seat, after many
opposition candidates were disqualified for technical reasons
election results: Soviet Respubliki - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - NA; Palata Predstaviteley - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - NA
Belgium
bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in
Dutch, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly elected by
popular vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve four-year
terms) and a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van
Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre des Representants in
French (150 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on
the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 May 2003
(next to be held no later than May 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - SP.A-Spirit
15.5%, VLD 15.4%, CD & V 12.7%, PS 12.8%, MR 12.1%, VB 9.4%, CDH
5.6%; seats by party - SP.A-Spirit 7, VLD 7, CD & V 6, PS 6, MR 5,
VB 5, CDH 2, other 2 (note - there are also 31 indirectly elected
senators); Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - VLD
15.4%, SP.A-Spirit 14.9%, CD & V 13.3%, PS 13.0%, VB 11.6%, MR
11.4%, CDH 5.5%, Ecolo 3.1%; seats by party - VLD 25, SP.A-Spirit
23, CD & V 21, PS 25, VB 18, MR 24, CDH 8 Ecolo 4, other 2
note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered
devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of
government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a
complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six
governments each with its own legislative assembly
Belize
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12
members appointed by the governor general - six on the advice of the
prime minister, three on the advice of the leader of the opposition,
and one each on the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and
Evangelical Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce
and Industry and the Belize Better Business Bureau, and the National
Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee;
members are appointed for five-year terms) and the House of
Representatives (29 seats; members are elected by direct popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 5 March 2003 (next
to be held March 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PUP 21, UDP 8
Benin
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats;
members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 30 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Presidential Movement 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other
small parties) 31
Bermuda
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (an 11-member
body appointed by the governor, the premier, and the opposition) and
the House of Assembly (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote
to serve up to five-year terms)
elections: last general election held 24 July 2003 (next to be held
July 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 51.7%, UBP 48%;
seats by party - PLP 22, UBP 14
Bhutan
unicameral National Assembly or Tshogdu (150 seats; 105
elected from village constituencies, 10 represent religious bodies,
and 35 are designated by the monarch to represent government and
other secular interests; members serve three-year terms)
elections: local elections last held November 2002 (next to be held
NA 2005)
election results: NA
Bolivia
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of
Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats; members are
elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve
five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130
seats; 68 are directly elected from their districts and 62 are
elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve
five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held
30 June 2002 (next to be held June 2007)
election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - MNR 11, MAS 8, MIR 5, NFR 2, other 1; Chamber
of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MNR
36, MAS 27, MIR 26, NFR 25, others 16
Bosnia and Herzegovina
bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina
consists of the National House of Representatives or Predstavnicki
Dom (42 seats - elected by proportional representation, 28 seats
allocated from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 14 seats
from the Republika Srpska; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms); and the House of Peoples or Dom Naroda (15 seats -
5 Bosniak, 5 Croat, 5 Serb; members elected by the Bosniak/Croat
Federation's House of Representatives and the Republika Srpska's
National Assembly to serve four-year terms); note - Bosnia's
election law specifies four-year terms for the state and first-order
administrative division entity legislatures
elections: National House of Representatives - elections last held 5
October 2002 (next to be held in NA 2006); House of Peoples - last
constituted NA January 2003 (next to be constituted in 2007)
election results: National House of Representatives - percent of
vote by party/coalition - SDA 21.9%, SDS 14.0%, SBiH 10.5%, SDP
10.4%, SNSD 9.8%, HDZ 9.5%, PDP 4.6%, others 19.3%; seats by
party/coalition - SDA 10, SDS 5, SBiH 6, SDP 4, SNSD 3, HDZ 5, PDP
2, others 7; House of Peoples - percent of vote by party/coalition -
NA%; seats by party/coalition - NA
note: the Bosniak/Croat Federation has a bicameral legislature that
consists of a House of Representatives (98 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections last held 5
October 2002 (next to be held NA October 2006); percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party/coalition - SDA 32, HDZ-BiH 16, SDP 15,
SBiH 15, other 20; and a House of Peoples (60 seats - 30 Bosniak, 30
Croat); last constituted December 2002; the Republika Srpska has a
National Assembly (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms); elections last held 5 October 2002 (next to
be held in the fall of 2006); percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party/coalition - SDS 26, SNSD 19, PDP 9, SDA 6, SRS 4, SPRS 3,
DNZ 3, SBiH 4, SDP 3, others 6; as a result of the 2002
constitutional reform process, a 28-member Republika Srpska Council
of Peoples (COP) was established in the Republika Srpska National
Assembly including 8 Croats, 8 Bosniaks, 8 Serbs, and 4 members of
the smaller communities
Botswana
bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a
largely advisory 15-member body consisting of the chiefs of the
eight principal tribes, four elected subchiefs, and three members
selected by the other 12 members) and the National Assembly (61
seats, 57 members are directly elected by popular vote and four are
appointed by the majority party; members serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly elections last held 30 October 2004
(next to be held October 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - BDP 52%, BNF 26%, BCP
17%, other 5%; seats by party - BDP 44, BNF 12, BCP 1
Brazil
bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of
the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; three members from
each state and federal district elected according to the principle
of majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third elected after a
four-year period, two-thirds elected after the next four-year
period) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513
seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: Federal Senate - last held 6 October 2002 for two-thirds
of the Senate (next to be held October 2006 for one-third of the
Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 6 October 2002 (next to be
held October 2006)
election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PMBD 19, PFL 19, PT 14, PSDB 11, PDT 5, PSB 4, PL
3, PTB 3, PPS 1, PSD 1, PP 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote
by party - NA%; seats by party - PT 91, PFL 84, PMDB 74, PSDB 71, PP
49, PL 26, PTB 26, PSB 22, PDT 21, PPS 15, PCdoB 12, PRONA 6, PV 5,
other 11; note - many congressmen have changed party affiliation
since the most recent election
British Virgin Islands
unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats;
members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of
9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 16 May 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NDP 8, VIP 5
Brunei
Legislative Council met on 25 September 2004 for first time
in 20 years with 21 members appointed by the Sultan; passed
constitutional amendments calling for a 45-seat council with 15
elected members; Sultan dissolved council on 1 September 2005 and
appointed a new council with 29 members as of 2 September 2005
elections: last held in March 1962 (date of next election NA)
Bulgaria
unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 25 June 2005 (next to be held June 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - CfB 31.1%, NMS2 19.9%,
MRF 12.7%, ATAKA 8.2%, UDF 7.7%, DSB 6.5%, BPU 5.2%; seats by party
- CfB 83, NMS2 53, MRF 33, ATAKA 21, UDF 20, DSB 17, BPU 13
Burkina Faso
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale
(111 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: National Assembly election last held 5 May 2002 (next to
be held May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
CDP 57, RDA-ADF 17, PDP/PS 10, CFD 5, PAI 5, others 17
Burma
unicameral People's Assembly or Pyithu Hluttaw (485 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never allowed by
junta to convene
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NLD 392 (opposition), SNLD 23 (opposition), NUP 10 (pro-government),
other 60
Burundi
bicameral, consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (expanded from 121 to approximately 140 seats under the
transitional government inaugurated 1 November 2001; members are
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and a Senate (54
seats; term length is undefined, the current senators will likely
serve out the three-year transition period)
elections: last held 29 June 1993 (next was scheduled to be held in
1998, but was suspended by presidential decree in 1996; elections
are currently planned to be held by April 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - FRODEBU 71.04%, UPRONA
21.4%, other 7.56%; seats by party - FRODEBU 65, UPRONA 16,
civilians 27, other parties 13
Cambodia
bicameral, consists of the National Assembly (123 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the
Senate (61 seats; two members appointed by the monarch, two elected
by the National Assembly, and 57 elected by "functional
constituencies"; members serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly - last held 27 July 2003 (next to be
held in July 2008); Senate - last held 2 March 1999 (scheduled to be
held in 2004 but delayed)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CPP
47%, SRP 22%, FUNCINPEC 21%, other 10%; seats by party - CPP 73,
FUNCINPEC 26, SRP 24; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party - CPP 31, FUNCINPEC 21, SRP 7, other 2 (July 2003)
Cameroon
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (180
seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year
terms; note - the president can either lengthen or shorten the term
of the legislature)
elections: last held 23 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
RDCP 133, SDF 21, UDC 5, other 21
note: the constitution calls for an upper chamber for the
legislature, to be called a Senate, but it has yet to be established
Canada
bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or
Senat (members appointed by the governor general with the advice of
the prime minister and serve until reaching 75 years of age; its
normal limit is 105 senators) and the House of Commons or Chambre
des Communes (308 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to
serve for up to five-year terms)
elections: House of Commons - last held 28 June 2004 (next to be
held by NA 2009)
election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party -
Liberal Party 36.7%, Conservative Party 29.6%, New Democratic Party
15.7%, Bloc Quebecois 12.4%, Greens 4.3%, independents 0.4%, other
0.9%; seats by party - Liberal Party 134, Conservative Party 99,
Bloc Quebecois 54, New Democratic Party 19, independent 2
Cape Verde
unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 January 2001 (next to be held December 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAICV 47.3%, MPD 39.8%,
ADM 6%, other 6.9%; seats by party - PAICV 40, MPD 30, ADM 2
Cayman Islands
unicameral Legislative Assembly (18 seats, three
appointed members from the Executive Council and 15 elected by
popular vote; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 11 May 2005 (next to be held 2009)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - PPM 9, UDP 5,
independent 1
Central African Republic
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (109 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms
elections: last held 22-23 November and 13 December 1998 (next to be
held 13 March 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - MLPC 43%, RDC 18%, MDD
9%, FPP 6%, PSD 5%, ADP 4%, PUN 3%, FODEM 2%, PLD 2%, UPR 1%, FC 1%,
independents 6%; seats by party - MLPC 47, RDC 20, MDD 8, FPP 7, PSD
6, ADP 5, PUN 3, FODEM 2, PLD 2, UPR 1, FC 1, independents 7
Chad
bicameral according to constitution, consists of a National
Assembly (155 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms) and a Senate (not yet created and size unspecified,
members to serve six-year terms, one-third of membership renewable
every two years)
elections: National Assembly - last held 21 April 2002 (next to be
held in April 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
MPS 110, RDP 12, FAR 9, RNDP 5, URD 5, UNDR 3, others 11
Chile
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of
the Senate or Senado (48 seats, 38 elected by popular vote, 9
designated members, and 1 former president who has served a full
six-year term and is senator for life); elected members serve
eight-year terms (one-half elected every four years) and the Chamber
of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (120 seats; members are elected
by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 16 December 2001 (next to be held
December 2005); Chamber of Deputies - last held 16 December 2001
(next to be held December 2005)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - CPD 20 (PDC 12, PS 5, PPD 3), APC 16 (UDI 9, RN 7),
independents 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - CPD 62 (PDC 24, PPD 21, PS 11, PRSD 6), UDI
35, RN 22, independent 1
China
unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin
Daibiao Dahui (2,985 seats; members elected by municipal, regional,
and provincial people's congresses to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held December 2002-February 2003 (next to be held
late 2007-February 2008)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - NA
Christmas Island
unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: held every two years with half the members standing for
election; last held 3 May 2003 (next to be held in 2005)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire
Council (7 seats)
elections: held every two years with half the members standing for
election; last held NA
Colombia
bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Senate or
Senado (102 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de
Representantes (166 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held March
2006); House of Representatives - last held 10 March 2002 (next to
be held March 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - PL 28, PSC 13, independents and smaller parties (many
aligned with conservatives) 61; House of Representatives - percent
of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PL 54, PSC 21, independents
and other parties 91
Comoros
unicameral Assembly of the Union (33 seats; 15 deputies are
selected by the individual islands' local assemblies and the 18 by
universal suffrage; deputies serve for five years);
elections: last held 18 and 25 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2009)
election results: NA
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
a 300-member Transitional
Constituent Assembly established in August 2000
elections: NA; members of the Transitional Constituent Assembly were
appointed by former President Laurent Desire KABILA
Congo, Republic of the
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate
(66 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms) and the National Assembly (137 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 11 July 2002 (next to be held July
2007); National Assembly - last held 27 May and 26 June 2002 (next
to be held by NA May 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - FDP 56, other 10; National Assembly - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 83, UDR 6, UPADS 3, other 45
Cook Islands
unicameral Parliament (25 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 7 September 2004 (next to be held by 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
CIP 10, DAP 9, Demo Tumu 4, independent 1; note - one seat undecided
pending by-election
note: the House of Ariki (chiefs) advises on traditional matters and
maintains considerable influence, but has no legislative powers
Costa Rica
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa
(57 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 February 2002 (next to be held 3 February
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PUSC 19, PLN 17, PAC 14, PML 6, PRC 1; note - seats by party as of
January 2005 - PUSC 19, PLN 16, PAC 8, PML 5, PRC 1, Patriotic Union
3, Homeland First 1, Authentic Member from Heredia 1, Democratic
National Alliance 1, independent 2
Cote d'Ivoire
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale
(225 seats; members are elected in single- and multi-district
elections by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: elections last held 10 December 2000 with by-elections on
14 January 2001 (next to be held October 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
FPI 96, PDCI-RDA 94, RDR 5, PIT 4, other 2, independents 22, vacant 2
note: a Senate is scheduled to be created in the next full election
in 2005
Croatia
unicameral Assembly or Sabor (152 seats; note - one seat was
added in the November 2003 parliamentary elections; members elected
from party lists by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Assembly - last held 23 November 2003 (next to be held in
2007)
election results: Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; number
of seats by party - HDZ 66, SDP 34, HSS 10, HNS 10, HSP 8, IDS 4,
Libra 3, HSU 3, SDSS 3, other 11
note: minority government coalition - HDZ, DC, HSLS, HSU, SDSS
Cuba
unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea
Nacional del Poder Popular (609 seats, elected directly from slates
approved by special candidacy commissions; members serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 19 January 2003 (next to be held in NA 2008)
election results: percent of vote - PCC 97.6%; seats - PCC 609
Cyprus
unicameral - Republic of Cyprus: House of Representatives or
Vouli Antiprosopon (80 seats; 56 assigned to the Greek Cypriots, 24
to Turkish Cypriots; note - only those assigned to Greek Cypriots
are filled; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms); north Cyprus: Assembly of the Republic or Cumhuriyet Meclisi
(50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: Republic of Cyprus: last held 27 May 2001 (next to be
held May 2006); north Cyprus: last held 14 December 2003 (next to be
held NA 2008)
election results: Republic of Cyprus: House of Representatives -
percent of vote by party - AKEL 34.71%, DISY 34%, DIKO 14.84%, KISOS
6.51%, others 9.94%; seats by party - AKEL (Communist) 20, DISY 19,
DIKO 9, KISOS 4, others 4; north Cyprus: Assembly of the Republic -
percent of vote by party - CTP 35.8%, UBP 32.3%, Peace and
Democratic Movement 13.4%, DP 12.3%; seats by party - CTP 19, UBP
18, Peace and Democratic Movement 6, DP 7
Czech Republic
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the
Senate or Senat (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the
Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 5-6 November and 12-13
November 2004 (next to be held November 2006); Chamber of Deputies -
last held 14-15 June 2002 (next to be held by June 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - ODS 37, KDU-CSL 14, Open Democracy 13, CSSD 7, Caucus Open
Democracy 7, independents 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote
by party - CSSD 30.2%, ODS 24.5%, KSCM 18.5%, KDU-CSL & US-DEU
coalition 14.3%, other minor 12.5%; seats by party - CSSD 70, ODS
57, KSCM 41, KDU-CSL 21, US-DEU 10, independent 1
Denmark
unicameral People's Assembly or Folketinget (179 seats,
including 2 from Greenland and 2 from the Faroe Islands; members are
elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation
to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 8 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - Liberal Party 29%,
Social Democrats 25.9%, Danish People's Party 13.2%, Conservative
Party 10.3%, Social Liberal Party 9.2%, Socialist People's Party 6%,
Unity List 3.4%; seats by party - Liberal Party 52, Social Democrats
47, Danish People's Party 24, Conservative Party 18, Social Liberal
Party 17, Socialist People's Party 11, Unity List 6; note - does not
include the 2 seats from Greenland and the 2 seats from the Faroe
Islands
Djibouti
unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (65
seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
elections: last held 10 January 2003 (next to be held January 2008)
election results: percent of vote - RPP 62.2%, FRUD 36.9%; seats -
RPP 65, FRUD 0; note - RPP (the ruling party) dominated the election
Dominica
unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats, 9 appointed
senators, 21 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 5 May 2005 (next to be held by 5 August 2010);
note - tradition dictates that the election will be held within five
years of the last election, but technically it is five years from
the first seating of parliament (12 May 2005) plus a 90-day grace
period
election results: percent of vote by party - DLP 52.08%, UWP 43.6%,
DFP 3.15%; seats by party - DLP 12, UWP 8, independent 1
Dominican Republic
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional
consists of the Senate or Senado (32 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies
or Camara de Diputados (150 seats; members are elected by popular
vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held May
2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held
May 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - PRD 29, PLD 2, PRSC 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote
by party - NA%; seats by party - PRD 73, PLD 41, PRSC 36
East Timor
unicameral National Parliament (number of seats can vary,
minimum requirement of 52 and a maximum of 65 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - for its first term
of office, the National Parliament is comprised of 88 members on an
exceptional basis
elections: (next to be held August 2006); direct elections for
national parliament were never held; elected delegates to the
national convention named themselves legislators instead of having
elections; hence the exceptional numbers for this term of the
national parliament.
election results: percent of vote by party - FRETILIN 57.37%, PD
8.72%, PSD 8.18%, ASDT 7.84%, UDT 2.36%, PNT 2.21%, KOTA 2.13%, PPT
2.01%, PDC 1.98%, PST 1.78%, independents/other 5.42%; seats by
party - FRETILIN 55, PD 7, PSD 6, ASDT 6, PDC 2, UDT 2, KOTA 2, PNT
2, PPT 2, UDC/PDC 1, PST 1, PL 1, independent 1
Ecuador
unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (100
seats; members are popularly elected by province to serve four-year
terms)
elections: last held 20 October 2002 (next to be held October 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PSC 25, PRE 15, ID 16, PRIAN 10, PSP 9, Pachakutik Movement 6, MPD
5, DP 4, PS-FA 3, independents 7; note - defections by members of
National Congress are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in
the numbers of seats held by the various parties
Egypt
bicameral system consists of the People's Assembly or Majlis
al-Sha'b (454 seats; 444 elected by popular vote, 10 appointed by
the president; members serve five-year terms) and the Advisory
Council or Majlis al-Shura - which functions only in a consultative
role (264 seats; 176 elected by popular vote, 88 appointed by the
president; members serve six-year terms; mid-term elections for half
the members)
elections: People's Assembly - three-phase voting - last held 19
October, 29 October, 8 November 2000 (next to be held
October-November 2005); Advisory Council - last held May-June 2004
(next to be held May-June 2007)
election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - NDP 388, Tagammu 6, NWP 7, Nasserists 3, Al-Ahrar
1, independents 37 (2 seats determined by a later byelection, 10
seats appointed by President); Advisory Council - percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party - NA
El Salvador
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa
(84 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve
three-year terms)
elections: last held 16 March 2003 (next to be held March 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
FMLN 31, ARENA 28, PCN 15, PDC 5, CD 5
Equatorial Guinea
unicameral House of People's Representatives or
Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (80 seats; members directly
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
PDGE 98, NA 2
note: Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all
executive authority in the president
Eritrea
unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term limits not
established)
elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new
constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old
Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member
Constituent Assembly, that had been established in 1997 to discuss
and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans
living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to
serve as the country's legislative body until countrywide elections
to a National Assembly were held; although only 75 of 150 members of
the Transitional National Assembly were elected, the constitution
stipulates that once past the transition stage, all members of the
National Assembly will be elected by secret ballot of all eligible
voters; National Assembly elections scheduled for December 2001 were
postponed indefinitely
Estonia
unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 2 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - Center Party 25.4%, Res
Publica 24.6%, Reform Party 17.7%, Estonian People's Union 13%, Pro
Patria Union (Fatherland League) 7.3% People's Party Moodukad 7%;
seats by party - Center Party 28, Res Publica 28, Reform Party 19,
Estonian People's Union 13, Pro Patria Union 7, People's Party
Moodukad 6
Ethiopia
bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation or
upper chamber (108 seats; members are chosen by state assemblies to
serve five-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives or
lower chamber (548 seats; members are directly elected by popular
vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 15 May 2005 (next to be held NA 2010)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - OPDO 177,
ANDM 134, TPLF 38, WGGPDO 27, EPRDF 19, SPDO 18, GNDM 15, KSPDO 10,
ANDP 8, GPRDF 7, SOPDM 7, BGPDUF 6, BMPDO 5, KAT 4, other regional
political groupings 22, independents 8; note - 43 seats unconfirmed
note: irregularities and violence at some polling stations
necessitated the rescheduling of voting in certain constituencies;
voting postponed in Somali regional state because of severe drought
European Union
Council of the European Union (25 member-state
ministers having 321 votes; the number of votes is roughly
proportional to member-states' population); note - the Council is
the main decision-making body of the EU; European Parliament (732
seats; seats allocated among member states by proportion to
population); members elected by direct universal suffrage for a
five-year term
elections: last held 10-13 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party - EPP-ED
268, PES 202, ALDE 88, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41, IND/DEM 36, UEN
27, independents 28
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
unicameral Legislative Council (10
seats - 2 ex officio, 8 elected by popular vote, members serve
four-year terms); presided over by the governor
elections: last held 22 November 2001 (next to be held November 2005)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 8;
note - 71% voter turnout
Faroe Islands
unicameral Faroese Parliament or Logting (32 seats;
members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis from the
seven constituencies to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 January 2004 (next to be held no later than
January 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - Union Party 23.7%,
Social Democrats 21.8%, Republican Party 21.7%, People's Party
20.6%, Center Party 5.2%, Independence Party 4.6%; seats by party -
Union Party 7, Social Democrats 7, Republican Party 8, People's
Party 7, Center Party 2, Independence Party 1
note: election of 2 seats to the Danish Parliament was last held on
8 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009); results - percent
of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 1, People's
Party 1
Fiji
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (34 seats; 24
appointed by the President on the advice of the Great Council of
Chiefs, nine appointed by the president, and one appointed by the
council of Rotuma) and the House of Representatives (71 seats; 23
reserved for ethnic Fijians, 19 reserved for ethnic Indians, three
reserved for other ethnic groups, one reserved for the council of
Rotuma constituency encompassing the whole of Fiji, and 25 open
seats; members serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 25 August through 1
September and 19 September 2001 (next to be held not later than
September 2006)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - FLP 26.5%, SDL 27.5%, NFP 1.2%, MV 4.2%, NLUP 1.3%, UGP .3%,
independents 1.4%; seats by party - FLP 27, SDL 32, MV 6, NFP 1,
NLUP 2, UGP 1, independents 2
Finland
unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats; members are
elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve four-year
terms)
elections: last held 16 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - Kesk 24.7%, SDP 24.5%,
Kok 18.5%, VAS 9.9%, VIHR 8%, KD 5.3%, SFP 4.6%; seats by party -
Kesk 55, SDP 53, Kok 40, VAS 19, VIHR 14, KD 7, SFP 8, others 4
France
bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or
Senat (321 seats - 296 for metropolitan France, 13 for overseas
departments and territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad;
members are indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve
nine-year terms; elected by thirds every three years); note -
between now and 2010, 25 new seats will be added to the Senate for a
total of 346 seats - 326 for metropolitan France and overseas
departments, 2 for New Caledonia, 2 for Mayotte, 1 for Saint-Pierre
and Miquelon, 3 for overseas territories, and 12 for French
nationals abroad; members will be indirectly elected by an electoral
college to serve six-year terms, with one-half the seats being
renewed every three years; and the National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (577 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a
single-member majority system to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held
September 2007); National Assembly - last held 8-16 June 2002 (next
to be held not later than June 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - UMP 156, PS 97, UDF 33, PCF 23, RDSE 15, other 7; National
Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP 355,
PS 140, UDF 29, PCF 21, Radical Party 7, Greens 3, other 22
French Guiana
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (31 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held NA March 2000 (next to be
held NA 2006); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to
be held NA 2004)
election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PSG 5, various left-wing parties 5, independents 7,
other 2; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - PS 28.28%,
various left parties 22.56%, RPR 15.91%, independents 8.6%, Walwari
Committee 6%; seats by party - PS 11, various left parties 9, RPR 6,
independents 3, Walwari Committee 2
note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998
(next to be held September 2007); results - percent of vote by party
- NA%; seats by party - NA; 2 seats were elected to the French
National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007);
results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP/RPR
1, Walwari Committee 1
French Polynesia
unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee
Territoriale (57 seats - changed from 49 seats for May 2004
election; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 23 May 2004 (next to be held May 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 28, Union for Democracy
27, New Star 1, This Country is Yours 1; after by-elections of 13
February 2005 seating was as follows: People's Rally for the
Republic 27, Union for Democracy 27, and Alliance for a New
Democracy 3
note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998
(next to be held September 2007); results - percent of vote by party
- NA%; seats by party - NA; two seats were elected to the French
National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007);
results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP/RPR
1, UMP 1
Gabon
bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (91 seats;
members elected by members of municipal councils and departmental
assemblies) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120
seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly - last held 9 and 23 December 2001
(next to be held December 2006); Senate - last held 26 January and 9
February 2003 (next to be held by January 2009)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - PDG 86, RNB-RPG 8, PGP 3, ADERE 3, CLR 2, PUP
1, PSD 1, independents 13, others 3; Senate - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - PDG 53, RNB 20, PGP 4, ADERE 3, RDP 1,
CLR 1, independents 9
Gambia, The
unicameral National Assembly (53 seats; 48 elected by
popular vote, five appointed by the president; members serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 17 January 2002 (next to be held February 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
APRC 45, PDOIS 2, NRP 1,
Georgia
unicameral Supreme Council (commonly referred to as
Parliament) or Umaghiesi Sabcho (235 seats - 150 elected by party
lists); members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held spring 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - National
Movement-Democrats 67.6%, Rightist Opposition 7.6%, all other
parties received less than 7% each; seats by party - National
Movement-Democrats 135, Rightist Opposition 15
Germany
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Federal
Assembly or Bundestag (613 seats; elected by popular vote under a
system combining direct and proportional representation; a party
must win 5% of the national vote or three direct mandates to gain
representation; members serve four-year terms) and the Federal
Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments are directly
represented by votes; each has 3 to 6 votes depending on population
and are required to vote as a block)
elections: Federal Assembly - last held 18 September 2005 (next to
be held September 2009); note - there are no elections for the
Bundesrat; composition is determined by the composition of the
state-level governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the
potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds an election
election results: Federal Assembly - percent of vote by party -
CDU/CSU 35.2%, SPD 34.3%, FDP 9.8%, Left 8.7%, Greens 8.1%; seats by
party - CDU/CSU 225, SPD 222, FDP 61, Left 54, Greens 51; Federal
Council - current composition - NA
Ghana
unicameral Parliament (230 seats; note - increased from 200
seats in last election; members are elected by direct, popular vote
to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NPP 128, NDC 92, other 10
Gibraltar
unicameral House of Assembly (18 seats - 15 elected by
popular vote, one appointed for the Speaker, and two ex officio
members; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 November 2003 (next to be held not later
than February 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - GSD 58%, GSLP 41%;
seats by party - GSD 8, GSLP 7
Greece
unicameral Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats;
members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: elections last held 7 March 2004 (next to be held by
March 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - ND 45.4%, PASOK 40.6%,
KKE 5.9%, Synaspismos 3.3%; seats by party - ND 165, PASOK 117, KKE
12, Synaspismos 6
Greenland
unicameral Parliament or Landstinget (31 seats; members
are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional
representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 3 December 2002 (next to be held by December
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - Siumut 28.7%, Inuit
Ataqatigiit 25.5%, Atassut Party 20.4%, Demokratiit 15.6%,
Katusseqatigiit 5.3%; seats by party - Siumut 10, Inuit Ataqatigiit
8, Atassut 7, Demokratiit 5, Katusseqatigiit 1
note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or
Folketing on 8 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009);
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Siumut 1, Inuit
Ataqatigiit 1
Grenada
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 13-member
body, 10 appointed by the government and three by the leader of the
opposition) and the House of Representatives (15 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 27 November 2003 (next to be held by
November 2008)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - NNP 8, NDC 7
Guadeloupe
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (42 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the
unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members
are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held March 2004 (next to be held
by NA 2010); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be
held NA 2010)
election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - left-wing candidates 11, PS 8, RPR 8, PPDG 6,
right-wing candidates 5, PCG 3, UDF 1; Regional Council (second
round) - percent of vote by party - PS 58.4%, UMP 41.6%; seats by
party - PS 29, UMP 12
note: Guadeloupe elects two representatives to the French Senate;
elections last held September 2004 (next to be held September 2013);
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA, Guadeloupe
elects four representatives to the French National Assembly;
elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007);
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RPR 2, PS 1,
different right parties 1
Guam
unicameral Legislature (15 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Democratic Party 6, Republican Party 9
note: Guam elects one nonvoting delegate to the US House of
Representatives; election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held
November 2006); results - Madeleine BORDALLO (Democratic Party) was
elected as delegate; percent of vote by party - Democratic Party
64.6%, Republican Party 35.4%; seats by party - Democratic Party 1
Guatemala
unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la
Republica (158 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 9 November 2003 (next to be held November 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
GANA 49, FRG 41, UNE 33, PAN 17, other 18
note: for the 9 November 2003 election, the number of congressional
seats increased from 113 to 158
Guernsey
unicameral States of Deliberation (45 seats; members are
elected by popular vote for 4 years); note - Alderney and Sark have
their own parliaments
elections: last held 21 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2008)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents
Guinea
unicameral People's National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale
Populaire (114 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 61.6%, UPR 26.6%,
other 11.8%; seats by party - PUP 85, UPR 20, other 9
Guinea-Bissau
unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia
Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve a maximum of four years)
elections: last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAIGC 31.5%, PRS 24.8%,
PUSD 16.1%, UE 4.1%, APU 1.3%, 13 other parties 22.2%; seats by
party - PAIGC 45, PRS 35, PUSD 17, UE 2, APU 1
Guyana
unicameral National Assembly (68 seats, 65 elected by popular
vote, 1 elected Speaker of the National Assembly, and 2 nonvoting
members appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 19 March 2001 (next to be held March 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PPP/C 34, PNC 27, GAP and WPA 2, ROAR 1, TUF 1
Haiti
bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of
the Senate (27 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber
of Deputies (83 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms); note - the National Assembly stopped functioning
in January 2004 when the terms of all Deputies and two-thirds of
sitting Senators expired; no replacements have been elected; the
President is currently ruling by decree
elections: Senate - last held for two-thirds of seats 21 May 2000
with runoffs on 9 July boycotted by the opposition; seven seats
still disputed; election for remaining one-third held on 26 November
2000 (next to be held in 2005); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21
May 2000 with runoffs on 30 July boycotted by the opposition; one
vacant seat rerun 26 November 2000 (next to be held in November 2005)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - FL 26, independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote
by party - NA%; seats by party - FL 73, MOCHRENA 3, PLB 2, OPL 1,
vacant 1, other minor parties and independents 3
Holy See (Vatican City)
unicameral Pontifical Commission
Honduras
unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (128
seats; members are elected proportionally to the number of votes
their party's presidential candidate receives to serve four-year
terms)
elections: last held 25 November 2001 (next to be held 27 November
2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PN 61, PL 55, PUD 5, PDC 4, PINU-SD 3
Hong Kong
unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; in 2004
30 seats indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 30 elected
by popular vote; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 12 September 2004 (next to be held in September
2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - pro-democracy group
62%; seats by party - (pro-Beijing 34) DAB 12, Liberal Party 10,
independents 11, FTU 1; (pro-democracy 25) independents 11,
Democratic Party 9, CTU 2, ADPL 1, Frontier Party 1, NWSC 1; other 1
Hungary
unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (386 seats;
members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional
and direct representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 and 21 April 2002 (next to be held NA April
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote
required for parliamentary representation in the first round) -
Fidesz/MDF 48.70%, MSzP 46.11%, SzDSz 4.92%, other 0.27%; seats by
party - Fidesz 164, MSzP 178, MDF 24, SzDSz 20
Iceland
unicameral Parliament or Althing (63 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 May 2003 (next to be held by May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - Independence Party
33.7%, Social Democratic Alliance 31.0%, Progressive Party 17.7%,
Left-Green Alliance 8.8%, Liberal Party 7.4%; seats by party -
Independence Party 22, Social Democratic Alliance 20, Progressive
Party 12, Left-Green Alliance 5, Liberal Party 4
India
bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of the Council of
States or Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than 250
members, up to 12 of whom are appointed by the president, the
remainder are chosen by the elected members of the state and
territorial assemblies; members serve six-year terms) and the
People's Assembly or Lok Sabha (545 seats; 543 elected by popular
vote, 2 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)
elections: People's Assembly - last held 20 April through 10 May
2004 (next to be held 2009)
election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - INC 145, BJP 138, CPI(M) 43, SP 36, RJD 24,
BSP 19, DMK 16, SS 12, BJD 11, CPI 10, NCP 9, JDU 8, SAD 8, PMK 6,
TDP 5, TRS 5, JMM 5, LJSP 4, MDMK 4, independents 5, other 30
Indonesia
unicameral House of Representatives or Dewan Perwakilan
Rakyat (DPR) (550 seats; members elected to serve five-year terms);
House of Regional Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah or DPD),
constitutionally mandated role includes providing legislative input
to DPR on issues affecting regions; People's Consultative Assembly
(Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat or MPR) has role in inaugurating and
impeaching President and in amending constitution; consists of
popularly-elected members in DPR and DPD; MPR does not formulate
national policy
elections: last held 5 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - Golkar 21.6%, PDI-P
18.5%, PKB 10.6%, PPP 8.2%, PD 7.5%, PKS 7.3%, PAN 6.4%, others
19.9%; seats by party - Golkar 128, PDI-P 109, PPP 58, PD 55, PAN
53, PKB 52, PKS 45, others 50
note: because of election rules, the number of seats won does not
always follow the number of votes received by parties
Iran
unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or
Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami (290 seats, note - changed from 270 seats
with the 18 February 2000 election; members elected by popular vote
to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 February 2004 with a runoff held 7 May 2004
(next to be held February 2008)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats by party -
conservatives/Islamists 190, reformers 50, independents 43,
religious minorities 5, and 2 seats unaccounted for
Iraq
unicameral National Assembly or Mejlis Watani (consisting of
275 members elected by a closed-list, proportional-representation
system for the period between the National Assembly election and the
formation of a permanent Iraqi government pursuant to the
establishment of a permanent constitution)
elections: held 30 January 2005 to elect a 275-member Transitional
National Assembly that will draft a permanent constitution and pave
the way for new national elections at the end of 2005
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party -
United Iraqi Alliance 48.2%, Democratic Patriotic Alliance of
Kurdistan 25.7%, Iraqi List 13.8%, others 12.3%; number of seats by
party - United Iraqi Alliance 140, Democratic Patriotic Alliance of
Kurdistan 75, Iraqi List 40, others 20
Ireland
bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate or
Seanad Eireann (60 seats - 49 elected by the universities and from
candidates put forward by five vocational panels, 11 are nominated
by the prime minister; members serve five-year terms) and the House
of Representatives or Dail Eireann (166 seats; members are elected
by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve
five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 16 and 17 July 2002 (next to be held
by July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 17 May 2002
(next to be held by May 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Fianna Fail 30, Fine Gael 15, Labor Party 5, Progressive
Democrats 4, independents and others 6; House of Representatives -
percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 41.5%, Fine Gael 22.5%, Labor
Party 10.8%, Sinn Fein 6.5%, Progressive Democrats 4.0%, Green Party
3.8%, others 10.9%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 81, Fine Gael 31,
Labor Party 21, Progressive Democrats 8, Green Party 6, Sinn Fein 5,
others 14
Israel
unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 January 2003 (next scheduled to be held fall
of 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - Likud Party 29.4%,
Labor 14.5%, Shinui 12.3%, Shas 8.2%, National Union 5.5%, Meretz
5.2%, United Torah Judaism 4.3%, National Religious Party 4.2%,
Democratic Front for Peace and Equality 3.0%, One Nation 2.8%,
National Democratic Assembly 2.3%, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya (YBA) 2.2%,
United Arab List 2.1%, Green Leaf Party 1.2%, Herut 1.2%, other
1.6%; seats by party - Likud 38, Labor 19, Shinui 15, Shas 11,
National Union 7, Meretz 6, National Religious Party 6, United Torah
Judaism 5, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality 3, One Nation 3,
National Democratic Assembly 3, YBA 2, United Arab List 2
Italy
bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or
Senato della Repubblica (315 seats elected by popular vote of which
232 are directly elected and 83 are elected by regional proportional
representation; in addition, there are a small number of
senators-for-life including former presidents of the republic;
members serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera
dei Deputati (630 seats; 475 are directly elected, 155 by regional
proportional representation; members serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 13 May 2001 (next to be held 2006);
Chamber of Deputies - last held 13 May 2001 (next to be held May
2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - House of Liberties 172 (Forza Italia 77, National Alliance
47, UDC 31, Lega Padana 17), Olive Tree 108 (Democrats of the Left
63, Daisy Alliance 35, Greens 10), Per le Autonomie 10, other 25;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party
- House of Liberties 337 (Forza Italia 176, National Alliance 97,
UDC 36, Northern League 28), Olive Tree 214 (Democrats of the Left
135, Daisy Alliance 79), Rifondazione Communista (Italian Communist
Party) 11, other 68
Jamaica
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member
body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the
prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party is
allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated eight seats) and
the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 16 October 2002 (next to be held in October
2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 52%, JLP 47.3%;
seats by party - PNP 34, JLP 26
Japan
bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors
or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half
reelected every three years; 144 members in multi-seat
constituencies and 98 by proportional representation) and the House
of Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for
four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by
proportional representation in 11 regional blocs)
elections: House of Councillors - last held 11 July 2004 (next to be
held in July 2007); House of Representatives - last held 11
September 2005 (next election by September 2009)
election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - LDP 115, DPJ 82, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 5,
others 7; distribution of seats as of October 2004 - LDP 114, DPJ
84, Komeito 24, JCP 9, SDP 5, others 6
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - LDP 47.8%, DPJ
36.4%, others 15.8%; seats by party - LDP 296, DPJ 113, Komeito 31,
JCP 9, SDP 7, others 24 (2005)
Jersey
unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12
senators (elected for 6-year terms), 12 constables or heads of
parishes (elected for 3-year terms), 29 deputies (elected for 3-year
terms); the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members
- the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor
General all appointed by the monarch)
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 53
Jordan
bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of
the Senate, also called the House of Notables (Majlis al-Ayan) (55
seats; members appointed by the monarch from designated categories
of public figures; members serve four-year terms) and the House of
Representatives, also called the House of Deputies (Majlis
al-Nuwaab) (110 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis
of proportional representation to serve four-year terms; note - six
seats are reserved for women and are allocated by a special
electoral panel if no women are elected)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 17 June 2003 (next
to be held NA 2007)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - independents and others 89.6%, Islamic Action Front (IAF)
10.4%; seats by party - independents and others 92, Islamic Action
Front 18; note - one of the six quota seats was given to a female
IAF candidate
note: the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved
by the monarch several times since 1974; in November 1989, the first
parliamentary elections in 22 years were held; political parties
were not legalized until 1992; King ABDALLAH delayed the 2001
elections until 2003
Kazakhstan
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (39 seats; 7
senators are appointed by the president; other members are popularly
elected, two from each of the 14 oblasts, the capital of Astana, and
the city of Almaty, to serve six-year terms; note - formerly
composed of 47 seats) and the Majilis (77 seats; 10 out of the 77
Majilis members are elected from the winning party's lists; members
are popularly elected to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - (indirect) last held 17 September 1999 (next to
be held December 2005); Majilis - last held 19 September and 3
October 2004 (next to be held September 2009)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - NA; candidates nominated by local councils; Majilis -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Otan 42, AIST 11,
ASAR (All Together) 4, Ak Zhol (Bright Path) 1, Democratic Party 1,
independent 18; note - most independent candidates are affiliated
with parastatal enterprises and other pro-government institutions
Kenya
unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (224 seats; 210 members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 so-called
"nominated" members who are appointed by the president but selected
by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2
ex-officio members)
elections: last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held by early 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NARC 125, KANU 64, FORD-P 14, other 7; ex-officio 2; seats appointed
by the president - NARC 7, KANU 4, FORD-P 1
Kiribati
unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (42
seats; 39 elected by popular vote, one ex officio member - the
attorney general, one appointed to represent Banaba, and one other;
members serve four-year terms)
elections: first round elections last held 29 November 2002; second
round elections held 6 December 2002 (next to be held by November
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
BTK 17, MTM 16, independents 7, other 2 (includes attorney general)
note: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first
round on 9 May 2003 and the second round on 14 May 2003
Korea, North
unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin
Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 3 August 2003 (next to be held in August 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected
without opposition; some seats are held by minor parties
Korea, South
unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats -
members elected for four-year terms; 243 in single-seat
constituencies, 56 by proportional representation
elections: last held 15 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2008;
byelections held on 30 April 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - Uri 51%, GNP 41%, DLP
3%, DP 3%, others 2%; seats by party - Uri 146, GNP 125, DLP 10, DP
9, ULD 3, independents 6
note: percent of vote is for 2004 general election; seats by party
reflect results of 2005 byelections involving six seats; MDP became
DP in May 2005 (2005)
Kuwait
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (50 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 6 July 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - Islamists 21,
government supporters 14, liberals 3, and independents 12; note -
all cabinet ministers are also ex officio members of the National
Assembly
Kyrgyzstan
bicameral Supreme Council or Jorgorku Kenesh consists of
the Assembly of People's Representatives (70 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the
Legislative Assembly (35 seats; members are elected by popular vote
to serve five-year terms); note - in accordance with a 2003
referendum, the Parliament is slated to become unicameral with 75
deputies after the 27 February 2005 elections
elections: Assembly of People's Representatives - last held 20
February and 12 March 2000; Legislative Assembly - last held 20
February and 12 March 2000; elections for the new unicameral body or
Jorgorku Kenesh were held 27 February 2005, but the vast majority of
positions remained undecided and were to be contested in a runoff
election scheduled for 13 March 2005; election irregularities caused
widespread protests that resulted in the president being forced to
flee the country; new legislative elections have not yet been
rescheduled
election results: Assembly of People's Representatives - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; and Legislative Assembly -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; note - total
seats by party in the Supreme Council were as follows: Union of
Democratic Forces 12, Communists 6, My Country Party of Action 4,
independents 73, other 10
note: the legislature became bicameral for the 5 February 1995
elections; the 2000 election results include both the Assembly of
People's Representatives and the Legislative Assembly
Laos
unicameral National Assembly (109 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - total number of seats
increased from 99 to 109 for the 2002 election)
elections: last held 24 February 2002 (next to be held in 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
LPRP or LPRP-approved (independent, non-party members) 109
Latvia
unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members are
elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 5 October 2002 (next to be held NA October 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - JL 23.9%, PCTVL 18.9%,
TP 16.7%, ZZS 9.5%, First Party 7.6%, LNNK 5.4%; seats by party - JL
26, PCTVL 24, TP 21, ZZS 12, First Party 10, LNNK 7
Lebanon
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or
Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular
vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held in four rounds on 29 May, 5, 12, 19 June 2005
(next to be held 2009)
election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats by group -
Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering 15; Development and
Resistance Bloc 15; Loyalty to the Resistance 14; Free Patriotic
Movement 14; Lebanese Forces 6; Qornet Shewan 5; Popular Bloc 4;
Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Syrian National Socialist Party 2;
Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Tachnaq Party 2; Democratic Renewal
Movement 1; Democratic Left 1; Nasserite Popular Movement 1; Ba'th
Party 1; Kataeb Party 1; independent 5
Lesotho
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members - 22
principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party)
and the Assembly (120 seats, 80 by direct popular vote and 40 by
proportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-year
terms); note - number of seats in the Assembly rose from 80 to 120
in the May 2002 election
elections: last held 25 May 2002 (next to be held May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - LCD 54%, BNP 21%, LPC
7%, other 18%; seats by party - LCD 76, BNP 21, LPC 5, other 18
Liberia
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (26
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and
the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held 11
October 2005); House of Representatives - last held 19 July 1997
(next to be held 11 October 2005)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - NPP 21, UP 3, ALCOP 2; House of Representatives - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 49, UP 7, ALCOP 3,
Alliance of Political Parties 2, UPP 2, LPP 1
Libya
unicameral General People's Congress (NA seats; members
elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees)
Liechtenstein
unicameral Parliament or Landtag (25 seats; members
are elected by direct, popular vote under proportional
representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 11 and 13 March 2005 (next to be held by NA
2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - FBP 48.7%, VU 38.2%, FL
13%; seats by party - FBP 12, VU 10, FL 3
Lithuania
unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats, 71 members are
directly elected by popular vote, 70 are elected by proportional
representation; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 and 24 October 2004 (next to be held October
2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - Labor 28.6%, Working
for Lithuania (Social Democrats and Social Liberals) 20.7%, Homeland
Union (Conservatives) 14.6%, For Order and Justice (Liberal
Democrats and Lithuanian People's Union) 11.4%, Liberal and Center
Union 9.1%, Union of Farmers and New Democracy 6.6%; seats by
faction - Labor 39, Homeland Union 25, Social Democrats 20, Liberal
and Center Union 18, Social Liberals 11, Union of Farmers and New
Democracy Parties 10, Liberal Democrats 10, Electoral Action 2,
independents 6
Luxembourg
unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (60
seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 13 June 2004 (next to be held by June 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - CSV 36.1%, LSAP 23.4%,
DP 16.1%, Green Party 11.6%, ADR 10%; seats by party - CSV 24, LSAP
14, DP 10, Green Party 7, ADR 5
note: there is also a Council of State that serves as an advisory
body to the Chamber of Deputies; the Council of State has 21 members
appointed by the Grand Duke on the advice of the prime minister
Macau
unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (29 seats; 12 elected
by popular vote, 10 by indirect vote, and seven appointed by the
chief executive; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 26 September 2005 (next in September 2009)
election results: percent of vote - Development Union 12.8%, Macau
Development Alliance 9%, Macau United Citizens' Association 16%, New
Democratic Macau Association 18.2%, others na; seats by political
group - Development Union 2, Macau Development Alliance 1, Macau
United Citizens' Association 2, New Democratic Macau Association 2,
New Hope 1, Union Forces 2, others 2; 10 seats filled by
professional and business groups; seven members appointed by chief
executive
Macedonia
unicameral Assembly or Sobranie (120 seats - members
elected by popular vote from party lists based on the percentage of
the overall vote the parties gain in each of six electoral
districts; all serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 15 September 2002 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Together for Macedonia coalition 60 (SDSM 43, LDP 12, others 5),
VMRO-DPMNE 33 (VMRO 28 and LDT 5), Democratic Union for Integration
16, Democratic Party of Albanians 7, Party for Democratic Prosperity
2, National Democratic Party 1, Socialist Party of Macedonia 1
Madagascar
bicameral legislature consists of a National Assembly or
Assemblee Nationale (160 seats; members are directly elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms) and a Senate or Senat (100
seats; two-thirds of the seats filled by regional assemblies whose
members will be elected by popular vote; the remaining one-third of
the seats appointed by the president; all members will serve
four-year terms)
elections: National Assembly - last held 15 December 2002 (next to
be held NA 2006)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - TIM 103, FP 22, AREMA 3, LEADER/Fanilo 2, RPSD
5, others 3, independents 22
Malawi
unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 20 May 2004 (next to be held May 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
UDF 74, MCP 60, Independents 24, RP 16, others 18, vacancies 1
Malaysia
bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of the Senate or
Dewan Negara (70 seats; 44 appointed by the paramount ruler, 26
appointed by the state legislatures) and the House of
Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (219 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 21 March 2004 (next
must be held by 2009)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - BN 91%, DAP 5%, PAS 3%, other 1%; seats by party - BN 199,
DAP 12, PAS 6, PKR 1, independent 1
Maldives
unicameral People's Council or Majlis (50 seats; 42 elected
by popular vote, 8 appointed by the president; members serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 22 January 2005 (next to be held NA 2010)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 50
Mali
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (147 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 July and 28 July 2002 (next to be held July
2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Hope 2002 coalition 66, ADEMA 51, other 30
Malta
unicameral House of Representatives (usually 65 seats; note -
additional seats are given to the party with the largest popular
vote to ensure a legislative majority; members are elected by
popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held by April 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - PN 51.7%, MLP 47.6%, AD
0.7%; seats by party - PN 34, MLP 31
Man, Isle of
bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council
(an 11-member body composed of the President of Tynwald, the Lord
Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and 8 others
named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members
are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Keys - last held 22 November 2001 (next to be
held November 2006)
election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - Man
Labor Party 17.3%, Alliance for Progressive Government 14.6%; seats
by party - Man Labor Party 2, Alliance for Progressive Government 3,
independents 19
Marshall Islands
unicameral Parliament or Nitijela (33 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held not later
than November 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
note: the Council of Chiefs is a 12-member body that advises on
matters affecting customary law and practice
Martinique
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (45 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a
unicameral Regional Assembly or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members
are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held NA March 2000 (next to be
held NA 2006); Regional Assembly - last held on 28 March 2004 (next
to be held by March 2010)
election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - left-wing candidates 13, PPM 11, RPR 6, right-wing
candidates 5, PCM 3, UDF 3, PMS 2, independents 2; note - the PPM
won a plurality; Regional Assembly (second round) - percent of vote
by party - MIM 53.8%, PPM 30.6%; seats by party - MIM 28, PPM 9,
other 4
note: Martinique elects 2 seats to the French Senate; elections last
held NA September 2001 (next to be held September 2004); results -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PPM 2; Martinique
also elects 4 seats to the French National Assembly; elections last
held, first round - 9 June 2002, second round - 16 June 2002 (next
to be held not later than June 2007); results - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, PS 1, MIM 1, left-wing
candidate 1 (candidacy of the left-wing candidate was found invalid
by the Constitutional Council; new elections will be called)
Mauritania
bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis
al-Shuyukh (56 seats, a part of the seats up for election every two
years; members elected by municipal leaders to serve six-year terms)
and the National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (81 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 9 and 16 April 2004 (next to be held
April 2006); National Assembly - last held 19 and 26 October 2001
(next to be held NA 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - PRDS 79%,
RDU 3.5%, UDP 3.5%, AC 5%, UFP 3.5%, FP 1.5%; seats by party - PRDS
64, UDP 3, RDU 3, AC 4, RFD 3, UFP 3, and FP 1
Mauritius
unicameral National Assembly (66 seats; 62 elected by
popular vote, 4 appointed by the election commission from the losing
political parties to give representation to various ethnic
minorities; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 September 2000 (next to be held September
2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - MSM/MMM 52.3%, MLP/PMSD
36.9%, OPR 10.8%; seats by party - MSM/MMM 54, MLP/PMSD 6, OPR 2
Mayotte
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 21 and 28 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - MDM 23.3%, UMP 22.8%,
PS 10.2%, MRC 8.9%, FRAP 6.5%, MPM 1.2%; seats by party - MDM 6, UMP
9, MRC 2, MPM 1, diverse left 1
note: Mayotte elects one member of the French Senate; elections last
held 24 September 2001 (next to be held September 2007); results -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Mayotte also
elects one member to the French National Assembly; elections last
held 16 June 2002 (next to be held as a special election in June
2005); results - percent of vote by party - UMP-RPR 55.08%, UDF
44.92%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1
Mexico
bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists
of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 are elected by
popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 are allocated on the
basis of each party's popular vote) and the Federal Chamber of
Deputies or Camara Federal de Diputados (500 seats; 300 members are
directly elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms;
remaining 200 members are allocated on the basis of each party's
popular vote, also for three-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2000 for all of the seats (next
to be held 2 July 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 6 July 2003
(next to be held 2 July 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - PRI 60, PAN 46, PRD 16, PVEM 5, unassigned 1; Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRI 222,
PAN 151, PRD 95, PVEM 17, PT 6, CD 5, unassigned 4; note - special
elections were held in December 2003; the PRI and the PRD each won
one seat and were each assigned one additional proportional
representation seat
Micronesia, Federated States of
unicameral Congress (14 seats; four
- one elected from each state to serve four-year terms and 10 -
elected from single-member districts delineated by population to
serve two-year terms; members elected by popular vote)
elections: elections for four-year term seats last held 4 March 2003
(next to be held March 2007); elections for two-year term seats last
held 8 March 2005 (next to be held March 2007)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 14
Moldova
unicameral Parliament or Parlamentul (101 seats; parties and
electoral blocs elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 6 March 2005 (next to be held NA 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - PCRM 46.1%, Democratic
Moldova Bloc 28.4%, PPCD 9.1%, other parties 16.4%; seats by party -
PCRM 56, Democratic Moldova Bloc 34, PPCD 11
Monaco
unicameral National Council or Conseil National (24 seats; 16
members elected by list majority system, 8 by proportional
representation; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 9 February 2003 (next to be held February 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
UNAM 21, UND 3
Mongolia
unicameral State Great Hural 76 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms
elections: last held 27 June 2004 (next to be held in June 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - MPRP 48.78%, MDC 44.8%,
independents 3.5%, Republican Party 1.5%, others 1.42%; seats by
party - MPRP 36, MDC 34, others 4; note - following June 2004
election, two seats in dispute and unoccupied
Montserrat
unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly
elected; members serve five-year terms)
note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with attorney
general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members
elections: last held April 2001 (next to be held by November 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NPLM 7, NPP 2
note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a single
constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible voters cast
ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative Council
Morocco
bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Chamber
of Counselors (270 seats; members elected indirectly by local
councils, professional organizations, and labor syndicates for
nine-year terms; one-third of the members are renewed every three
years) and a lower house or Chamber of Representatives (325 seats;
295 by multi-seat constituencies and 30 from national lists of
women; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Counselors - last held 6 October 2003 (next to
be held NA 2006); Chamber of Representatives - last held 27
September 2002 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: Chamber of Counselors - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - RNI 42, MDS 33, UC 28, MP 27, PND 21, PI 21,
USFP 16, MNP 15, PA 13, FFD 12, other 42; Chamber of Representatives
- percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - USFP 50, PI 48,
PJD 42, RNI 41, MP 27, MNP 18, UC 16, PND 12, PPS 11, UD 10, other 50
Mozambique
unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da
Republica (250 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote
on a secret ballot to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 1-2 December 2004 (next to be held December
2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - Frelimo 62%, Renamo
29.7%; seats by party - Frelimo 160, Renamo 90
Namibia
bicameral legislature consists of the National Council (26
seats; two members are chosen from each regional council to serve
six-year terms) and the National Assembly (72 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: National Council - elections for regional councils, to
determine members of the National Council, held 15-16 November 2004
(next to be held November 2009); National Assembly - last held 15-16
November 2004 (next to be held November 2009)
election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - SWAPO 55, COD 5, DTA 4, UDF 3, MAG 1, other 4
note: the National Council is primarily an advisory body
Nauru
unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 3 May 2003 (next to be held not later than May
2006)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - Nauru First Party
3, independents 15
Nepal
bicameral Parliament consists of the National Council (60 seats; 35
appointed by the House of Representatives, 10 by the king, and 15
elected by an electoral college; one-third of the members elected
every two years to serve six-year terms) and the House of
Representatives (205 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 3 and 17 May 1999
(next election NA); note - Nepal's Parliament was dissolved on 22
May 2002
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - NC 37.3%, CPN/UML 31.6%, NDP 10.4%, NSP 3.2%, Rastriya Jana
Morcha 1.4%, Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal 0.8%, NWPP 0.5%, others 14.8%;
seats by party - NC 113, CPN/UML 69, NDP 11, NSP 5, Rastriya Jana
Morcha 5, Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal 1, NWPP 1
Netherlands
bicameral States General or Staten Generaal consists of
the First Chamber or Eerste Kamer (75 seats; members indirectly
elected by the country's 12 provincial councils for four-year terms)
and the Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats; members directly
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: First Chamber - last held 25 May 2003 (next to be held
May 2007); Second Chamber - last held 22 January 2003 (next to be
held May 2007)
election results: First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - CDA 23, PvdA 19, VVD 15, Green Party 5, Socialist
Party 4, D66 3, other 6; Second Chamber - percent of vote by party -
CDA 28.6%, PvdA 27.3%, VVD 12.9%, Socialist Party 6.3%, List Pim
Fortuyn 5.7%, Green Party 5.1%, D66 4.1%; seats by party - CDA 44,
PvdA 42, VVD 28, Socialist Party 9, List Pim Fortuyn 8, Green Party
8, D66 6, other 5
Netherlands Antilles
unicameral States or Staten (22 seats - Curacao
14, Bonaire 3, St. Maarten 3, St. Eustatius 1, Saba 1; members are
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 18 January 2002 (next to be held in 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PAR 4, PNP 3, PLKP 2, DP St. M 2, UP Bonaire 2, WIPM 1, DP
note: the government of Prime Minister Etienne YS is a coalition of
several parties; current government formed after collapse of FOL led
government on 4 April 2004
New Caledonia
unicameral Territorial Congress or Congres Territorial
(54 seats; members belong to the three Provincial Assemblies or
Assemblees Provinciales elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 9 May 2004 (next to be held NA 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
RPCR-UMP 16, AE 16, UNI-FLNKS 8, UC 7, FN 4, others 3
note: New Caledonia currently holds 1 seat in the French Senate;
elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held not later
than September 2007; between now and 2010 New Caledonia will gain a
second seat in the French Senate); results - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - NA; New Caledonia also elects 2 seats
to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 and 16 June
2002 (next to be held by June 2007); results - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - UMP 2
New Zealand
unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called
Parliament (120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in
single-member constituencies including 7 Maori constituencies, and
51 proportional seats chosen from party lists, all to serve
three-year terms)
elections: last held 17 September 2005 (next to be held not later
than 15 November 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NZLP 41.1%, NP 39.1%,
NZFP 5.72%, Green Party 5.3%, Maori 2.12%, UF 2.67%, ACT New Zealand
1.51%, Progressive 1.16%; seats by party - NZLP 50, NP 48, NZFP 7,
Green Party 6, Maori 4, UF 3, ACT New Zealand 2, Progressive 1
note: results of 2005 election saw the total number of seats
increase to 121 because the Maori Party won one more electorate seat
than its entitlement under the party vote
Nicaragua
unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92
seats; members are elected by proportional representation and party
lists to serve five-year terms; one seat for previous President, one
seat for runner-up in previous Presidential election
elections: last held 4 November 2001 (next to be held by November
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - Liberal Alliance
(ruling party - includes PCCN, PLC, PALI, PLIUN, and PUCA) 46.03%,
FSLN 36.55%, PCN 2.12%; seats by party - Liberal Alliance 53, FSLN
38, PCN 1
Niger
unicameral National Assembly (113 seats; note - expanded from
83 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)
elections: last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
MNSD 47, CDS 22, PNDS 17, RSD 7, RDP 6, ANDP 5, Party for Socialism
and Democracy in Niger 1, other 8
Nigeria
bicameral National Assembly consists of Senate (109 seats -
3 from each state plus one from Abuja, members elected by popular
vote to serve four-year terms) and House of Representatives (346
seats, members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held NA
2007); House of Representatives - last held 12 April 2003 (next to
be held NA 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PDP 53.7%,
ANPP 27.9%, AD 9.7%; seats by party - PDP 76, ANPP 27, AD 6; House
of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDP 54.5%, ANPP
27.4%, AD 8.8%, other 9.3%; seats by party - PDP 223, ANPP 96, AD
34, other 6; note - one seat is vacant
Niue
unicameral Legislative Assembly (20 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve three-year terms; six elected from a common
roll and 14 are village representatives)
elections: last held 30 April 2005 (next to be held April 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
Norfolk Island
unicameral Legislative Assembly (9 seats; members
elected by electors who have nine equal votes each but only four
votes can be given to any one candidate; members serve three-year
terms)
elections: last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held by December
2007)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9
(note - no political parties)
Northern Mariana Islands
bicameral Legislature consists of the
Senate (9 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
four-year staggered terms) and the House of Representatives (18
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 1 November 2003 (next to be held 5
November 2005); House of Representatives - last held 1 November 2003
(next to be held 5 November 2005)
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 - Covenant Party 9, Republican Party 7,
Democratic Party 1, independent 1
note: the Northern Mariana Islands does not have a nonvoting
delegate in the US Congress; instead, it has an elected official or
"resident representative" located in Washington, DC; seats by party
- Republican Party 1 (Pedro A. TENORIO)
Norway
modified unicameral Parliament or Storting (169 seats;
members are elected by popular vote by proportional representation
to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 12 September 2005 (next to be held September
2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - Labor Party 32.7%,
Progress Party 22.1%, Conservative Party 14.1%, Socialist Left Party
8.8%, Christian People's Party 6.8%, Center Party 6.5%, Liberal
Party 5.9%, Red Electoral Alliance 1.2%, other 1.9%; seats by party
- Labor Party 61, Progress Party 38, Conservative Party 23,
Socialist Left Party 15, Christian People's Party 11, Center Party
11, Liberal Party 10
note: for certain purposes, the parliament divides itself into two
chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership to an upper house
or Lagting
Oman
bicameral Majlis Oman consists of an upper chamber or Majlis
al-Dawla (58 seats; members appointed by the monarch; has advisory
powers only) and a lower chamber or Majlis al-Shura (83 seats;
members elected by universal suffrage for four-year term; body has
some limited power to propose legislation, but otherwise has only
advisory powers)
elections: last held 4 October 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: NA
Pakistan
bicameral Parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the
Senate (100 seats - formerly 87; members indirectly elected by
provincial assemblies to serve four-year terms; and the National
Assembly (342 seats - formerly 217; 60 seats represent women; 10
seats represent minorities; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 24 and 27 February 2003 (next to be
held by February 2007); National Assembly - last held 10 October
2002 (next to be held by October 2006)
election results: Senate results - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PML/Q 40, PPPP 11, MMA 21, MQM/A 6, PML/N 4, NA 3,
PML/F 1, PkMAP 2, ANP 2, PPP/S 2, JWP 1, BNP-Awami 1, BNP-Mengal 1,
BNM/H 1, independents 4; National Assembly results - percent of
votes by party - NA%; seats by party - PML/Q 126, PPPP 81, MMA 63,
PML/N 19, MQM/A 17, NA 16, PML/F 5, PML/J 3, PPP/S 2, BNP 1, JWP 1,
PAT 1, PML/Z 1, PTI 1, MQM/H 1, PkMAP 1, independents 3
Palau
bicameral Parliament or Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK) consists of
the Senate (9 seats; members elected by popular vote on a population
basis to serve four-year terms) and the House of Delegates (16
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held
November 2008); House of Delegates - last held 2 November 2004 (next
to be held November 2008)
election results: Senate - percent of vote - NA%; seats -
independents 9 (four new members elected); House of Delegates -
percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 16 (one new member
elected)
Panama
unicameral National Assembly (formerly called Legislative
Assembly) or Asamblea Nacional (78 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - in 2009, the number of
seats will change to 71)
elections: last held 2 May 2004 (next to be held 3 May 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PRD 40, PA 17, PS 8, MOLIRENA 3, CD 2, PP 2, PLN 1, other 5
note: legislators from outlying rural districts are chosen on a
plurality basis while districts located in more populous towns and
cities elect multiple legislators by means of a proportion-based
formula
Papua New Guinea
unicameral National Parliament - sometimes referred
to as the House of Assembly (109 seats, 89 elected from open
electorates and 20 from provincial electorates; members elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 15-29 June 2002 and April and May 2003;
completed in May 2003 (voting in the Southern Highlands was not
completed during the June 2002 election period); next to be held not
later than June 2007
election results: percent of vote by party - National Alliance 18%,
URP 13%, PDM 12%, PPP 8%, Pangu 6%, PAP 5%, PLP 4%, others 34%;
seats by party - National Alliance 19, URP 14, PDM 13, PPP 8, PANGU
6, PAP 5, PLP 4, others 40; note - association with political
parties is fluid (2003)
Paraguay
bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Chamber of
Senators or Camara de Senadores (45 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies
or Camara de Diputados (80 seats; members are elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 27 April 2003 (next to be
held April 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 27 April 2003
(next to be held April 2008)
election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - ANR 16, PLRA 12, UNACE 7, PQ 7, PPS 2, PEN 1;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party
- ANR 37, PLRA 21, UNACE 10, PQ 10, PPS 2
Peru
unicameral Congress of the Republic of Peru or Congreso de la
Republica del Peru (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote
to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 8 April 2001 (next to be held 9 April 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - PP 26.3%, APRA 19.7%,
UN 13.8%, FIM 11.0%, others 29.2%; seats by party - PP 47, APRA 28,
UN 17, FIM 11, others 17
Philippines
bicameral Congress or Kongreso consists of the Senate or
Senado (24 seats - one-half elected every three years; members
elected at large by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the
House of Representatives or Kapulungan Ng Mga Kinatawan (212 members
representing districts plus 24 sectoral party-list members; members
elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; note - the
Constitution prohibits the House of Representatives from having more
than 250 members)
elections: Senate - last held 10 May 2004 (next to be held in May
2007); House of Representatives - elections last held 10 May 2004
(next to be held in May 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - Lakas 30%, LP
13%, KNP 13%, independents 17%, others 27%; seats by party - Lakas
7, LP 3, KNP (coalition) 3, independents 4, others 6; note - there
are 23 rather than 24 sitting senators because one senator was
elected Vice President; 14 senators are pro-government, 9 are in
opposition; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - Lakas 93, NPC 53, LP 34, LDP 11, others 20;
party-listers 24; note - there are 211 rather than 212 sitting
representatives because one was appointed Secretary of Tourism (2004)
Pitcairn Islands
unicameral Island Council (10 seats - 5 elected by
popular vote, 1 nominated by the 5 elected members, 2 appointed by
the governor including 1 seat for the Island Secretary, the Island
Mayor, and a commissioner liaising between the governor and council;
elected members serve one-year terms)
elections: last held 15 December 2004 (next to be held December 2005)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents
Poland
bicameral legislature consisting of an upper house, the
Senate or Senat (100 seats; members are elected by a majority vote
on a provincial basis to serve four-year terms), and a lower house,
the Sejm (460 seats; members are elected under a complex system of
proportional representation to serve four-year terms); the
designation of National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe is only
used on those rare occasions when the two houses meet jointly
elections: Senate - last held 25 September 2005 (next to be held by
September 2009); Sejm elections last held September 25 2005 (next to
be held by September 2009)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - PiS 49, PO 34, LPR 7, SO 3, PSL 2, independents 5; Sejm -
percent of vote by party - PiS 27%, PO 24.1%, SO 11.4%, SLD 11.3%,
LPR 8%, PSL 7%, other 11.2%; seats by party - PiS 155, PO 133, SO
56, SLD 55, LPR 34, PSL 25, German minorities 2
note: two seats are assigned to ethnic minority parties in the Sejm
only
Portugal
unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da
Republica (230 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 February 2005 (next to be held February
2009); note - President SAMPAIO called for early elections after
dissolving parliament on 10 December 2004 because he lacked
confidence in the four-month center-right government
election results: percent of vote by party - PS 45.1%, PSD 28.7%,
CDU 7.6%, PP 7.3%, BE 6.4%; seats by party - PS 121, PSD 75, CDU 14,
PP 12, BE 8
Puerto Rico
bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate
(at least 27 seats - currently 29; members are directly elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of
Representatives (51 seats; members are directly elected by popular
vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held
November 2008); House of Representatives - last held 2 November 2004
(next to be held November 2008)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PNP 43.4%, PPD
40.3%, PIP 9.4%; seats by party - PNP 17, PPD 9, PIP 1; House of
Representatives - percent of vote by party - PNP 46.3%, PPD 43.1%,
PIP 9.7%; seats by party - PNP 32, PPD 18, PIP 1
note: Puerto Rico elects, by popular vote, a resident commissioner
to serve a four-year term as a nonvoting representative in the US
House of Representatives; aside from not voting on the House floor,
he enjoys all the rights of a member of Congress; elections last
held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008); results -
percent of vote by party - PNP 48.6%; seats by party - PNP 1; Luis
FORTUNO elected resident commissioner
Qatar
unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (35 seats;
members appointed)
note: no legislative elections have been held since 1970 when there
were partial elections to the body; Council members have had their
terms extended every four years since; the new constitution, which
came into force on 8 June 2004, provides for a 45-member
Consultative Council, or Majlis al-Shura; the public would elect
two-thirds of the Majlis al-Shura; the amir would appoint the
remaining members
Reunion
unicameral General Council (49 seats; members are elected by
direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral
Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct, popular
vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to
be held NA); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be
held NA 2010)
election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - various right-wing candidates 13, PCR 10, PS 10,
UDF 8, RPR 6, other left-wing candidates 2; Regional Council (second
round) - percent of vote by party - PCR 44.9%, UMP 32.8%, PS-Greens
22.3%; seats by party - PCR 27, UMP 11, PS-Greens 7
note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate;
elections last held NA 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); results -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Reunion also
elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last
held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, UMP 1,
PCR 1
Romania
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or
Senat (137 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote on a
proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) and the
Chamber of Deputies or Adunarea Deputatilor (332 seats; members are
elected by direct, popular vote on a proportional representation
basis to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 28 November 2004 (next to be held 28
November 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 28 November 2004
(next to be held 28 November 2008)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by alliance/party -
PSD-PUR 37.1%, PNL-PD 31.8%, PRM 13.6%, UDMR 6.2%; seats by party -
PSD 46, PNL 28, PD 21, PRM 21, PUR 11, UMDR 10; Chamber of Deputies
- percent of vote by alliance/party - PSD-PUR 36.6%, PNL-PD 31.3%%,
PRM 12.9%, UDMR 6.2%; seats by party - PSD 113, PNL 64, PD 48, PRM
48, UDMR 22, PUR 19, ethnic minorities 18
Russia
bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists
of the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (178 seats; as of July
2000, members appointed by the top executive and legislative
officials in each of the 89 federal administrative units - oblasts,
krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the federal
cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg; members serve four-year
terms) and the State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats;
currently 225 seats elected by proportional representation from
party lists winning at least 5% of the vote, and 225 seats from
single-member constituencies; members are elected by direct, popular
vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: State Duma - last held 7 December 2003 (next to be held
NA December 2007)
election results: State Duma - percent of vote received by parties
clearing the 5% threshold entitling them to a proportional share of
the 225 party list seats - United Russia 37.1%, CPRF 12.7%, LDPR
11.6%, Motherland 9.1%; seats by party - United Russia 222, CPRF 53,
LDPR 38, Motherland 37, People's Party 19, Yabloko 4, SPS 2, other
7, independents 65, repeat election required 3
Rwanda
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (53
seats; members elected by direct vote)
elections: last held 29 September 2003 (next to be held Chamber of
Deputies - NA 2008; Senate - NA 2011)
election results: seats by party under the 2003 Constitution - RPF
40, PSD 7, PL 6
Saint Helena
unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the
speaker, 3 ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 June 2001 (next to be held June 2005)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15
Saint Kitts and Nevis
unicameral National Assembly (14 seats, 3
appointed and 11 popularly elected from single-member
constituencies; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 25 October 2004 (next to be held by 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
SKNLP 7, CCM 2, NRP 1, PAM 1
Saint Lucia
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats;
six members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, three on
the advice of the leader of the opposition, and two after
consultation with religious, economic, and social groups) and the
House of Assembly (17 seats; members are elected by popular vote
from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 3 December 2001 (next to be
held in December 2006)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - SLP
55%, UWP 37%, NA 3.5%; seats by party - SLP 14, UWP 3
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
unicameral General Council or Conseil
General (19 seats - 15 from Saint Pierre and 4 from Miquelon;
members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: elections last held 19 and 26 March 2000 (next to be held
NA April 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PS 12, PRG 2, UDF-RPR 5
note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect 1 seat to the French Senate;
elections last held NA September 1995 (next to be held NA September
2004); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
RPR 1; Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects 1 seat to the French
National Assembly; elections last held, first round - 9 June 2002,
second round - 16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UDF 1
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
unicameral House of Assembly (21
seats, 15 elected representatives and 6 appointed senators;
representatives are elected by popular vote from single-member
constituencies to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 2001 (next to be held by July 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; 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 3 March 2001 (next election to be held
not later than March 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
HRPP 30, SNDP 13, independents 6
San Marino
unicameral Grand and General Council or Consiglio Grande
e Generale (60 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 10 June 2001 (next to be held by June 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - PDCS 41.4%, PSS 24.2%,
PD 20.8%, APDS 8.2%, RC 3.4%, AN 1.9%; seats by party - PDCS 25, PSS
15, PD 12, APDS 5, RC 2, AN 1
Sao Tome and Principe
unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia
Nacional (55 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 March 2002 (next to be held March 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - MLSTP 39.6%, Force for
Change Democratic Movement 39.4%, Ue-Kedadji coalition 16.2%; seats
by party - MLSTP 24, Force for Change Democratic Movement 23,
Ue-Kedadji coalition 8
Saudi Arabia
Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (120 members
and a chairman appointed by the monarch for four-year terms)
Senegal
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120
seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
note: the former National Assembly, dissolved in the spring of 2001,
had 140 seats
elections: last held 29 April 2001 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
SOPI Coalition 89, AFP 11, PS 10, other 10
Serbia and Montenegro
unicameral Parliament (126 seats - 91 Serbian,
35 Montenegrin - filled by nominees of the two state parliaments for
the first two years, after which the Constitutional Charter calls
for direct elections
elections: last held 25 February 2003 (next to be held 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Serbian parties: SRS 30, DSS 20, DS 13, G17 Plus 12, SPO-NS 8, SPS
8; Montenegrin parties: DPS 15, SNP 9, SDP 4, DSS 3, NS 2, LSCG 2
Seychelles
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (34
seats - 25 elected by popular vote, 9 allocated on a proportional
basis to parties winning at least 10% of the vote; members serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 4-6 December 2002 (next to be held by 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - SPPF 54.3%, SNP 42.6%,
DP 3.1%; seats by party - SPPF 23, SNP 11
note: the 9 awarded seats are apportioned according to the
percentage that each party won of the total vote
Sierra Leone
unicameral Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by
popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate
elections; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - SLPP 70.06%, APC
22.35%, PLP 3%, others 4.59%; seats by party - SLPP 83, APC 27, PLP 2
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; the losing opposition candidate
who came closest to winning a seat may be appointed as a
"nonconstituency" member
elections: last held 3 November 2001 (next to be held not later than
25 June 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 75.3% (in contested
constituencies), other 24.7%; seats by party - PAP 82, WP 1, SPP 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 20-21 September 2002 (next to be held September
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - HZDS-LS 19.5%, SDKU
15.1%, Smer 13.5%, SMK 11.2%, KDH 8.3%, ANO 8%, KSS 6.3%; seats by
party - governing coalition 69 (SDKU 22, SMK 20, KDH 15, ANO 12),
opposition 81 (HZDS 26, Smer 25, KSS 9, Free Forum 6, People's Union
5, and independents 10)
Slovenia
bicameral Parliament consisting of a National Assembly or
Drzavni Zbor (90 seats; 40 are directly elected and 50 are selected
on a proportional basis; note - the numbers of directly elected and
proportionally elected seats varies with each election; members are
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the National
Council or Drzavni Svet (this is primarily an advisory body
organized on corporatist principles with limited legislative powers;
it may propose laws, ask to review any National Assembly decisions,
and call national referenda; members are indirectly elected to
five-year terms by an electoral college)
elections: National Assembly - last held 3 October 2004 (next to be
held October 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - SDS 29.1%, LDS 22.8%,
ZLSD 10.2%, NSi 9%, SLS 6.8%, SNS 6.3%, DeSUS 4.1%, other 11.7%;
seats by party - SDS 29, LDS 23, ZLSD 10, NSi 9, SLS 7, SNS 6, DeSUS
4, Hungarian and Italian minorities 1 each
Solomon Islands
unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members
elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 5 December 2001 (next to be held not later than
December 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 40%, SIACC 40%, PPP
20%; seats by party - PAP 16, SIACC 13, PPP 2, SILP 1, independents
18
Somalia
unicameral National Assembly
note: fledgling parliament; a 275-member Transitional Federal
Assembly; the new parliament consists of 61 seats assigned to each
of four large clan groups (Darod, Digil-Mirifle, Dir, and Hawiye)
with the remaining 31 seats divided between minority clans
South Africa
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 3 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 14 April 2004 (next to be held NA 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 (259 seats - 208 members
directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 appointed by the
regional legislatures to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of
Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; members are
elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional
representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March
2008); Congress of Deputies - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be
held March 2008)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PP 49%, PSOE
38.9%, Entesa Catalona de Progress 5.7%, CiU 1.99%, PNV 2.8%, CC
1.4%; seats by party - PP 102, PSOE 81, Entesa Catalona de Progress
12, CiU 4, PNV 6, CC 3; Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by
party - PSOE 43.3%, PP 37.8%, CiU 3.2%, ERC 2.5%, PNV 1.6%, IU 3.2%,
CC 0.9%; seats by party - PSOE 164, PP 148, CiU 10, ERC 8, PNV 7, IU
2, CC 3, other 8
Sri Lanka
unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by
popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation
system by district to serve six-year terms)
elections: last held 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance -
SLFP and JVP 45.6%, UNP 37.83%, TNA 6.84%, JHU 5.97%, SLMC 2.02%,
UPF 0.54%, EPDP 0.27%, others 0.93%; seats by party or electoral
alliance - SLFP and JVP 105, UNP 82, TNA 22, JHU 9, SLMC 5, UPF 1,
EPDP 1
Sudan
unicameral National Assembly (360 seats; 270 popularly
elected, 90 elected by supra assembly of interest groups known as
National Congress; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held NA)
election results: NCP 355, others 5
Suriname
unicameral National Assembly or Nationale Assemblee (51
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 25 May 2005 (next to be held May 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NF 41.2%, NDP 23.1%,
VVV 14.5%, A-Com 7.3%, A1 6.2%, other 5.9%; seats by party - NF 23,
NDP 15, VVV 5, A-Com 5, A1 3
Swaziland
bicameral Parliament or Libandla, an advisory body,
consists of the Senate (30 seats - 10 appointed by the House of
Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; members serve five-year
terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats - 10 appointed by the
monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year
terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 18 October 2003 (next to be
held October 2008)
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 15 September 2002 (next to be held September
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - Social Democrats 39.8%,
Moderates 15.2%, Liberal Party 13.3%, Christian Democrats 9.1%, Left
Party 8.3%, Center Party 6.1%, Greens 4.6%; seats by party - Social
Democrats 144, Moderates 55, Liberal Party 48, Christian Democrats
33, Left Party 30, Center Party 22, Greens 17
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 - members 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 19 October
2003 (each canton determines when the next election will be held);
National Council - last held 19 October 2003 (next to be held
October 2007)
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 26.6%, SPS 23.3%,
FDP 17.3%, CVP 14.4%, Greens 7.4%, other small parties all under 5%;
seats by party - SVP 55, SPS 54, FDP 36, CVP 28, Green Party 13,
other small parties 14
Syria
unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 2-3 March 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 67%, independents
33%; seats by party - NPF 167, independents 83; note - the
constitution guarantees that the Ba'th Party (part of the NPF
alliance) receives one-half of the seats
Taiwan
unicameral Legislative Yuan (225 seats - 168 elected by
popular vote, 41 elected on basis of proportion of islandwide votes
received by participating political parties, 8 elected from overseas
Chinese constituencies on basis of proportion of island-wide votes
received by participating political parties, 8 elected by popular
vote among aboriginal populations; members serve three-year terms)
and unicameral National Assembly (300 seat nonstanding body;
delegates nominated by parties and elected by proportional
representation six to nine months after Legislative Yuan calls to
amend Constitution, impeach president, or change national borders)
note: as a result of constitutional amendments approved by the
National Assembly on 7 June 2005, the number of seats in the
legislature will be reduced from 225 to 113 beginning with the
election in 2007; the amendments also eliminate the National
Assembly, thus giving Taiwan a unicameral legislature
elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 11 December 2004 (next to be
held in December 2007); National Assembly - last held 14 May 2005
election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - DPP
38%, KMT 35%, PFP 15%, TSU 8%, other parties and independents 4%;
seats by party - DPP 89, KMT 79, PFP 34, TSU 12, other parties 7,
independents 4; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - DPP
42.5%, KMT 38.9%, TSU 7%, PFP 6%, others 6.6%; seats by party - DPP
127, KMT 117, TSU 21, PFP 18, others 17 (2005)
Tajikistan
bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the
Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon
(63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms) and the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy
(33 seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by local
deputies, 8 appointed by the president; all serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 27 February and 13 March 2000 for the Assembly
of Representatives (next to be held NA 2010) and 23 March 2000 for
the National Assembly (next to be held NA 2005)
election results: Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - PDPT 74%, CPT 13%, Islamic Revival Party 8%, other 5%; seats
by party - PDPT 49, CPT 4, Islamic Revival Party 2, independents 5,
vacant 3; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party - NA
Tanzania
unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (274 seats - 232
elected by popular vote, 37 allocated to women nominated by the
president, five to members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives;
members 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, directly elected by
universal suffrage to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 29 October 2000 (next to be held 30 October
2005)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - CCM 244, CUF 16, CHADEMA 4, TLP 3, UDP 2,
Zanzibar representatives 5; Zanzibar House of Representatives -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CCM 34, CUF 16
Thailand
bicameral National Assembly or Rathasapha consists of the
Senate or Wuthisapha (200 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Sapha
Phuthaen Ratsadon (500 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 4 March, 29 April, 4 June, 9 July, and
22 July 2000 (next to be held by March 2006); House of
Representatives - last held 6 February 2005 (next to be held in
February 2009)
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 - TRT 376, DP 97, TNP 25, PP 2
Togo
unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 27 October 2002 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
RPT 72, RSDD 3, UDPS 2, Juvento 2, MOCEP 1, independents 1
note: two opposition parties boycotted the election, the Union of
the Forces for Change, and the Action Committee for Renewal
Tokelau
unicameral General Fono (21 seats; based upon proportional
representation from the three islands elected by popular vote to
serve three-year terms; Nukunonu has 6 seats, Fakaofo has 7 seats,
Atafu has 8 seats); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of 1996 confers
limited legislative power on the General Fono
elections: last held January 2002 (next to be held January 2005)
Tonga
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (30 seats - 12
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 21 March 2005 (next to be held in 2008)
election results: Peoples Representatives: percent of vote - HRDMT
70%; seats - HRDMT 7, independents 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 for a maximum term of five years) and the
House of Representatives (36 seats; members are elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 October 2002 (next
to be held by October 2007)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM
55.5%, UNC 44.5%; seats by party - PNM 20, UNC 16
note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members
serving four-year terms
Tunisia
unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab (189
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 24 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
RCD 152, MDS 14, PUP 11, UDU 7, Al-Tajdid 3, PSL 2
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 3 November 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); note
- a special rerun of the General Election in the province of Siirt
on 9 March 2003 resulted in the election of Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN to
a seat in parliament, a prerequisite for becoming prime minister, on
14 March 2003
election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 34.3%, CHP 19.4%,
DYP 9.6%, MHP 8.3%, ANAP 5.1%, DSP 1.1%, and others; seats by party
- AKP 363, CHP 178, independents 9; note - parties surpassing the
10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats; seats by party as
of 1 December 2004 - AKP 368, CHP 171, DYP 4, LDP 1, independents 5,
vacant 1
Turkmenistan
under the 1992 constitution, there are two
parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council or Halk
Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of up to 2,500 delegates, some
of whom are elected by popular vote and some of whom are appointed;
meets at least yearly) and a unicameral Parliament or Mejlis (50
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003; Mejlis - last
held 19 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009)
election results: Mejlis - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note -
all 50 elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of
Turkmenistan and are preapproved by President NIYAZOV
note: in late 2003, a new law was adopted, reducing the powers of
the Mejlis and making the Halk Maslahaty the supreme legislative
organ; the Halk Maslahaty can now legally dissolve the Mejlis, and
the president is now able to participate in the Mejlis as its
supreme leader; the Mejlis can no longer adopt or amend the
constitution, or announce referendums or its elections; since the
president is both the "Chairman for Life" of the Halk Maslahaty and
the supreme leader of the Mejlis, 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 Legislative Council (19 seats of
which 13 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 24 April 2003 (next to be held in 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 53.8%, PNP 46.2%;
seats by party - PDM 7, PNP 6; note - in by-elections held 7 August
2003, the PNP gained two seats for a majority of 8 seats; PDM now
has 5
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 25 July 2002 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15
Uganda
unicameral National Assembly (303 members - 214 directly
elected by popular vote, 81 nominated by legally established special
interest groups [women 56, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], 8
ex officio members; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 26 June 2001 (next to be held by June 2006);
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NA; note - election campaigning by party was not permitted
Ukraine
unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats;
under recent amendments to Ukraine's election law, the Rada's seats
are allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 3%
or more of the national electoral vote; members serve five-year
terms beginning with the next election in 2006)
elections: last held 31 March 2002 (next to be held March 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party/bloc - Our Ukraine 24%,
CPU 20%, United Ukraine 12%, SPU 7%, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 7%,
United Social Democratic Party 6%, other 24%; seats by party/bloc -
Our Ukraine 101, Regions of Ukraine 61, CPU 59, Working Ukraine 14,
United Social Democratic Party 33, Agrarian Party 22, SPU 20, Yuliya
Tymoshenko Bloc 19, United Ukraine 19, People's Democratic
Party-Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs 16, Center Group 15,
Democratic Initiatives 14, unaffiliated 57 (December 2004)
note: following the election, United Ukraine splintered into the
Agrarian Party, European Choice, People's Choice, People's
Democratic Party, Regions of Ukraine, and Working
Ukraine-Industrialists and Entrepreneurs; these factions have since
undergone a number of changes
United Arab Emirates
unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or
Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the
rulers of the constituent states to serve two-year terms)
elections: none
note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto
United Kingdom
bicameral Parliament comprised of House of Lords
(consists 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; pending further reforms, 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 356, Conservative 197, Liberal Democrat 62,
other 31; note - as of 30 September 2005 the seats by party - Labor
354, Conservative 196, Liberal Democrat 62, other 34
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); in 1999 there were elections for a new Scottish
Parliament and a new Welsh Assembly
United States
bicameral Congress consists of the Senate (100 seats,
one-third are renewed every two years; two members are elected from
each state by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of
Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by popular
vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held
November 2006); House of Representatives - last held 2 November 2004
(next to be held November 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Republican Party 55, Democratic Party 44, independent 1;
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Republican Party 231, Democratic Party 200, undecided 4
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) 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 to serve five-year terms and 16 are appointed by
the president) and a Lower House or Legislative Chamber (120 seats;
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 6 July 2004 (next to be held 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
UMP 8, VP 8, NUP 10, VRP 4, MPP 3, VGP 3, other and independent 16;
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 (165
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms;
three seats reserved for the indigenous peoples of Venezuela)
elections: last held 30 July 2000 (next to be held July 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
pro-government 108 (MVR 92, MAS 6, indigenous 3, other 7),
opposition 57 (AD 33, COPEI 6, Justice First 5, other 13)
Vietnam
unicameral National Assembly or Quoc-Hoi (498 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 19 May 2002 (next to be held 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - CPV 90%, other 10% (the
10% are not CPV members but are approved by the CPV to stand for
election); seats by party - CPV 447, CPV-approved 51
Virgin Islands
unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November
2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Democratic Party 10, ICM 2, independent 3
note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the
US House of Representatives; election last held 6 November 2002
(next to be held 2 November 2004); results - Donna M.
CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSON (Democrat) reelected
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 March 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 27 September 1998 (next to be held by September
2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats - RPR (now
UMP) 1; French National Assembly - elections last held 16 June 2002
(next to be held by NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats - RPR (UMP) 1
Yemen
a new constitutional amendment ratified on 20 February 2001
created a bicameral legislature consisting of a Shura Council (111
seats; members appointed by the president) and a House of
Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
six-year terms)
elections: last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held NA April 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
GPC 228, Islah 47, YSP 7, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab
Socialist Ba'th Party 2, independents 14
Zambia
unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; members are elected
by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 27 December 2001 (next to be held December 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - MMD 45.9%, UPND 32.4%,
UNIP 8.8%, FDD 8.1%, HP 2.7%, PF 0.7%, ZRP 0.7%, independents 0.7%;
seats by party - MMD 68, UPND 48, UNIP 13, FDD 12, HP 4, PF 1, ZRP
1, independents 1; seats not determined 2
Zimbabwe
unicameral House of Assembly (150 seats - 120 elected by
popular vote for five-year terms, 12 nominated by the president, 10
occupied by traditional chiefs chosen by their peers, and 8 occupied
by provincial governors appointed by the president)
elections: last held 31 March 2005 (next to be held NA 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - ZANU-PF 59.6%, MDC
39.5%, other 0.9%; seats by party - ZANU-PF 78, MDC 41, Independents
1
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@2102 Life expectancy at birth (years)
Afghanistan
total population: 42.9 years
male: 42.71 years
female: 43.1 years (2005 est.)
Albania
total population: 77.24 years
male: 74.6 years
female: 80.15 years (2005 est.)
Algeria
total population: 73 years
male: 71.45 years
female: 74.63 years (2005 est.)
American Samoa
total population: 75.84 years
male: 72.27 years
female: 79.62 years (2005 est.)
Andorra
total population: 83.51 years
male: 80.6 years
female: 86.6 years (2005 est.)
Angola
total population: 38.43 years
male: 37.28 years
female: 39.64 years (2005 est.)
Anguilla
total population: 77.11 years
male: 74.18 years
female: 80.12 years (2005 est.)
Antigua and Barbuda
total population: 71.9 years
male: 69.53 years
female: 74.38 years (2005 est.)
Argentina
total population: 75.91 years
male: 72.17 years
female: 79.85 years (2005 est.)
Armenia
total population: 71.55 years
male: 67.97 years
female: 75.75 years (2005 est.)
Aruba
total population: 79.14 years
male: 75.8 years
female: 82.65 years (2005 est.)
Australia
total population: 80.39 years
male: 77.52 years
female: 83.4 years (2005 est.)
Austria
total population: 78.92 years
male: 76.03 years
female: 81.96 years (2005 est.)
Azerbaijan
total population: 63.35 years
male: 59.24 years
female: 67.66 years (2005 est.)
Bahamas, The
total population: 65.54 years
male: 62.11 years
female: 69.04 years (2005 est.)
Bahrain
total population: 74.23 years
male: 71.76 years
female: 76.78 years (2005 est.)
Bangladesh
total population: 62.08 years
male: 62.13 years
female: 62.02 years (2005 est.)
Barbados
total population: 72.59 years
male: 70.6 years
female: 74.6 years (2005 est.)
Belarus
total population: 68.72 years
male: 63.03 years
female: 74.69 years (2005 est.)
Belgium
total population: 78.62 years
male: 75.44 years
female: 81.94 years (2005 est.)
Belize
total population: 68.44 years
male: 66.54 years
female: 70.44 years (2005 est.)
Benin
total population: 52.66 years
male: 51.53 years
female: 53.82 years (2005 est.)
Bermuda
total population: 77.79 years
male: 75.7 years
female: 79.91 years (2005 est.)
Bhutan
total population: 54.39 years
male: 54.65 years
female: 54.11 years (2005 est.)
Bolivia
total population: 65.5 years
male: 62.89 years
female: 68.25 years (2005 est.)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
total population: 77.83 years
male: 74.21 years
female: 81.72 years (2005 est.)
Botswana
total population: 33.87 years
male: 33.89 years
female: 33.84 years (2005 est.)
Brazil
total population: 71.69 years
male: 67.74 years
female: 75.85 years (2005 est.)
British Virgin Islands
total population: 76.49 years
male: 75.41 years
female: 77.62 years (2005 est.)
Brunei
total population: 74.8 years
male: 72.36 years
female: 77.36 years (2005 est.)
Bulgaria
total population: 72.03 years
male: 68.41 years
female: 75.87 years (2005 est.)
Burkina Faso
total population: 48.45 years
male: 46.96 years
female: 49.99 years (2005 est.)
Burma
total population: 60.7 years
male: 57.8 years
female: 63.78 years (2005 est.)
Burundi
total population: 50.29 years
male: 49.61 years
female: 50.99 years (2005 est.)
Cambodia
total population: 58.92 years
male: 56.98 years
female: 60.95 years (2005 est.)
Cameroon
total population: 50.89 years
male: 50.71 years
female: 51.08 years (2005 est.)
Canada
total population: 80.1 years
male: 76.73 years
female: 83.63 years (2005 est.)
Cape Verde
total population: 70.45 years
male: 67.13 years
female: 73.86 years (2005 est.)
Cayman Islands
total population: 79.95 years
male: 77.33 years
female: 82.6 years (2005 est.)
Central African Republic
total population: 43.39 years
male: 43.27 years
female: 43.52 years (2005 est.)
Chad
total population: 47.18 years
male: 45.55 years
female: 48.87 years (2005 est.)
Chile
total population: 76.58 years
male: 73.3 years
female: 80.03 years (2005 est.)
China
total population: 72.27 years
male: 70.65 years
female: 74.09 years (2005 est.)
Christmas Island
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
Colombia
total population: 71.72 years
male: 67.88 years
female: 75.7 years (2005 est.)
Comoros
total population: 61.96 years
male: 59.65 years
female: 64.33 years (2005 est.)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
total population: 51.1 years
male: 49.68 years
female: 52.56 years (2005 est.)
Congo, Republic of the
total population: 52.26 years
male: 51.17 years
female: 53.39 years (2005 est.)
Cook Islands
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
Costa Rica
total population: 76.84 years
male: 74.26 years
female: 79.55 years (2005 est.)
Cote d'Ivoire
total population: 48.62 years
male: 46.05 years
female: 51.27 years (2005 est.)
Croatia
total population: 74.45 years
male: 70.79 years
female: 78.31 years (2005 est.)
Cuba
total population: 77.23 years
male: 74.94 years
female: 79.65 years (2005 est.)
Cyprus
total population: 77.65 years
male: 75.29 years
female: 80.13 years (2005 est.)
Czech Republic
total population: 76.02 years
male: 72.74 years
female: 79.49 years (2005 est.)
Denmark
total population: 77.62 years
male: 75.34 years
female: 80.03 years (2005 est.)
Djibouti
total population: 43.1 years
male: 41.84 years
female: 44.39 years (2005 est.)
Dominica
total population: 74.65 years
male: 71.73 years
female: 77.71 years (2005 est.)
Dominican Republic
total population: 71.44 years
male: 69.94 years
female: 73.03 years (2005 est.)
East Timor
total population: 65.9 years
male: 63.63 years
female: 68.29 years (2005 est.)
Ecuador
total population: 76.21 years
male: 73.35 years
female: 79.22 years (2005 est.)
Egypt
total population: 71 years
male: 68.5 years
female: 73.62 years (2005 est.)
El Salvador
total population: 71.22 years
male: 67.61 years
female: 75.01 years (2005 est.)
Equatorial Guinea
total population: 49.7 years
male: 48.01 years
female: 51.44 years (2005 est.)
Eritrea
total population: 58.47 years
male: 56.96 years
female: 60.02 years (2005 est.)
Estonia
total population: 71.77 years
male: 66.28 years
female: 77.6 years (2005 est.)
Ethiopia
total population: 48.83 years
male: 47.67 years
female: 50.03 years (2005 est.)
European Union
total population: 78.3 years
male: 75.1 years
female: 81.6 years (July 2005 est.)
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
total population: NA years
male: NA years
female: NA years (2005 est.)
Faroe Islands
total population: 79.21 years
male: 75.77 years
female: 82.67 years (2005 est.)
Fiji
total population: 69.53 years
male: 67.05 years
female: 72.14 years (2005 est.)
Finland
total population: 78.35 years
male: 74.82 years
female: 82.02 years (2005 est.)
France
total population: 79.6 years
male: 75.96 years
female: 83.42 years (2005 est.)
French Guiana
total population: 77.09 years
male: 73.77 years
female: 80.58 years (2005 est.)
French Polynesia
total population: 75.9 years
male: 73.5 years
female: 78.42 years (2005 est.)
Gabon
total population: 55.02 years
male: 53.63 years
female: 56.45 years (2005 est.)
Gambia, The
total population: 53.75 years
male: 51.91 years
female: 55.64 years (2005 est.)
Gaza Strip
total population: 71.79 years
male: 70.5 years
female: 73.15 years (2005 est.)
Georgia
total population: 75.88 years
male: 72.59 years
female: 79.67 years (2005 est.)
Germany
total population: 78.65 years
male: 75.66 years
female: 81.81 years (2005 est.)
Ghana
total population: 58.47 years
male: 57.7 years
female: 59.26 years (2005 est.)
Gibraltar
total population: 79.67 years
male: 76.8 years
female: 82.7 years (2005 est.)
Greece
total population: 79.09 years
male: 76.59 years
female: 81.76 years (2005 est.)
Greenland
total population: 69.65 years
male: 66.07 years
female: 73.31 years (2005 est.)
Grenada
total population: 64.53 years
male: 62.74 years
female: 66.31 years (2005 est.)
Guadeloupe
total population: 77.9 years
male: 74.74 years
female: 81.21 years (2005 est.)
Guam
total population: 78.4 years
male: 75.34 years
female: 81.64 years (2005 est.)
Guatemala
total population: 69.06 years
male: 67.37 years
female: 70.84 years (2005 est.)
Guernsey
total population: 80.3 years
male: 77.3 years
female: 83.41 years (2005 est.)
Guinea
total population: 49.36 years
male: 48.19 years
female: 50.57 years (2005 est.)
Guinea-Bissau
total population: 46.61 years
male: 44.77 years
female: 48.52 years (2005 est.)
Guyana
total population: 65.5 years
male: 62.86 years
female: 68.28 years (2005 est.)
Haiti
total population: 52.92 years
male: 51.58 years
female: 54.31 years (2005 est.)
Honduras
total population: 69.3 years
male: 67.71 years
female: 70.97 years (2005 est.)
Hong Kong
total population: 81.5 years
male: 78.81 years
female: 84.41 years (2005 est.)
Hungary
total population: 72.4 years
male: 68.18 years
female: 76.89 years (2005 est.)
Iceland
total population: 80.19 years
male: 78.13 years
female: 82.34 years (2005 est.)
India
total population: 64.35 years
male: 63.57 years
female: 65.16 years (2005 est.)
Indonesia
total population: 69.57 years
male: 67.13 years
female: 72.13 years (2005 est.)
Iran
total population: 69.96 years
male: 68.58 years
female: 71.4 years (2005 est.)
Iraq
total population: 68.7 years
male: 67.49 years
female: 69.97 years (2005 est.)
Ireland
total population: 77.56 years
male: 74.95 years
female: 80.34 years (2005 est.)
Israel
total population: 79.32 years
male: 77.21 years
female: 81.55 years (2005 est.)
Italy
total population: 79.68 years
male: 76.75 years
female: 82.81 years (2005 est.)
Jamaica
total population: 73.33 years
male: 71.63 years
female: 75.12 years (2005 est.)
Japan
total population: 81.15 years
male: 77.86 years
female: 84.61 years (2005 est.)
Jersey
total population: 79.24 years
male: 76.77 years
female: 81.91 years (2005 est.)
Jordan
total population: 78.24 years
male: 75.75 years
female: 80.88 years (2005 est.)
Kazakhstan
total population: 66.55 years
male: 61.21 years
female: 72.2 years (2005 est.)
Kenya
total population: 47.99 years
male: 48.87 years
female: 47.09 years (2005 est.)
Kiribati
total population: 61.71 years
male: 58.71 years
female: 64.86 years (2005 est.)
Korea, North
total population: 71.37 years
male: 68.65 years
female: 74.22 years (2005 est.)
Korea, South
total population: 76.85 years
male: 73.42 years
female: 80.57 years (2005 est.)
Kuwait
total population: 77.03 years
male: 76.01 years
female: 78.1 years (2005 est.)
Kyrgyzstan
total population: 68.16 years
male: 64.16 years
female: 72.38 years (2005 est.)
Laos
total population: 55.08 years
male: 53.07 years
female: 57.17 years (2005 est.)
Latvia
total population: 71.05 years
male: 65.78 years
female: 76.6 years (2005 est.)
Lebanon
total population: 72.63 years
male: 70.17 years
female: 75.21 years (2005 est.)
Lesotho
total population: 34.47 years
male: 35.49 years
female: 33.42 years (2005 est.)
Liberia
total population: 38.89 years
male: 37.03 years
female: 40.81 years (2005 est.)
Libya
total population: 76.5 years
male: 74.29 years
female: 78.82 years (2005 est.)
Liechtenstein
total population: 79.55 years
male: 75.96 years
female: 83.16 years (2005 est.)
Lithuania
total population: 73.97 years
male: 68.94 years
female: 79.28 years (2005 est.)
Luxembourg
total population: 78.74 years
male: 75.45 years
female: 82.24 years (2005 est.)
Macau
total population: 82.12 years
male: 79.29 years
female: 85.09 years (2005 est.)
Macedonia
total population: 73.73 years
male: 71.28 years
female: 76.37 years (2005 est.)
Madagascar
total population: 56.95 years
male: 54.57 years
female: 59.4 years (2005 est.)
Malawi
total population: 41.43 years
male: 41.66 years
female: 41.2 years (2005 est.)
Malaysia
total population: 72.24 years
male: 69.56 years
female: 75.11 years (2005 est.)
Maldives
total population: 64.06 years
male: 62.76 years
female: 65.42 years (2005 est.)
Mali
total population: 48.64 years
male: 46.68 years
female: 50.66 years (2005 est.)
Malta
total population: 78.86 years
male: 76.7 years
female: 81.15 years (2005 est.)
Man, Isle of
total population: 78.34 years
male: 74.98 years
female: 81.87 years (2005 est.)
Marshall Islands
total population: 70.01 years
male: 68.05 years
female: 72.06 years (2005 est.)
Martinique
total population: 79.04 years
male: 79.43 years
female: 78.64 years (2005 est.)
Mauritania
total population: 52.73 years
male: 50.52 years
female: 55 years (2005 est.)
Mauritius
total population: 72.38 years
male: 68.4 years
female: 76.41 years (2005 est.)
Mayotte
total population: 61.39 years
male: 59.22 years
female: 63.62 years (2005 est.)
Mexico
total population: 75.19 years
male: 72.42 years
female: 78.1 years (2005 est.)
Micronesia, Federated States of
total population: 69.75 years
male: 67.96 years
female: 71.62 years (2005 est.)
Moldova
total population: 65.18 years
male: 61.12 years
female: 69.43 years (2005 est.)
Monaco
total population: 79.57 years
male: 75.7 years
female: 83.63 years (2005 est.)
Mongolia
total population: 64.52 years
male: 62.3 years
female: 66.86 years (2005 est.)
Montserrat
total population: 78.71 years
male: 76.54 years
female: 80.98 years (2005 est.)
Morocco
total population: 70.66 years
male: 68.35 years
female: 73.07 years (2005 est.)
Mozambique
total population: 40.32 years
male: 39.9 years
female: 40.75 years (2005 est.)
Namibia
total population: 43.93 years
male: 44.71 years
female: 43.13 years (2005 est.)
Nauru
total population: 62.73 years
male: 59.16 years
female: 66.48 years (2005 est.)
Nepal
total population: 59.8 years
male: 60.09 years
female: 59.5 years (2005 est.)
Netherlands
total population: 78.81 years
male: 76.25 years
female: 81.51 years (2005 est.)
Netherlands Antilles
total population: 75.83 years
male: 73.58 years
female: 78.2 years (2005 est.)
New Caledonia
total population: 74.04 years
male: 71.07 years
female: 77.16 years (2005 est.)
New Zealand
total population: 78.66 years
male: 75.67 years
female: 81.78 years (2005 est.)
Nicaragua
total population: 70.33 years
male: 68.27 years
female: 72.49 years (2005 est.)
Niger
total population: 43.5 years
male: 43.54 years
female: 43.45 years (2005 est.)
Nigeria
total population: 46.74 years
male: 46.21 years
female: 47.29 years (2005 est.)