unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; members elected by
direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
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, which 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
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 4 March 2007 (next to be held in March 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - Estonian Reform Party
27.8%, Center Party of Estonia 26.1%, Union of Pro Patria and Res
Publica 17.9%, Social Democratic Party 10.6%, Estonian Greens 7.1%,
Estonian People's Union 7.1%, other 5%; seats by party - Estonian
Reform Party 31, Center Party 28, Union of Pro Patria and Res
Publica 19, Social Democratic Party 10, Estonian Greens 6, Estonian
People's Union 6, independent 1
Ethiopia
bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation
(or upper chamber responsible for interpreting the constitution and
federal-regional issues) (108 seats; members chosen by state
assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of People's
Representatives (or lower chamber responsible for passing
legislation) (547 seats; members directly elected by popular vote
from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 23 May 2010 (next to be held in 2015)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - EPRDF 499,
SPDP 24, BGPDP 9, ANDP 8, GPUDM 3, HNL 1, FORUM 1, APDO 1,
independent 1
European Union
two legislative bodies consisting of the Council of
the European Union (27 member-state ministers having 345 votes; the
number of votes is roughly proportional to member-states'
population) and the European Parliament (736 seats; seats allocated
among member states in proportion to population; members elected by
direct universal suffrage for a five-year term); note - the Council
is the main decision-making body of the EU; leaders of the EU member
states appointed UK Baroness Catherine Ashton to be the first High
Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy;
Ashton took office on 1 December 2009; her concurrent appointment as
Vice President of the European Commission - both of which are
subject to confirmation by the European Parliament - endows her
position with the policymaking influence of the Council of the EU
and the budgetary influence of the European Commission
elections: last held on 4-7 June 2009 (next to be held in June 2014)
election results: percent of vote - EPP 36%, S&D 25%, ALDE 11.4%,
Greens/EFA 7.5%, ECR 7.3%, GUE/NGL 4.8%, EFD 4.3%, independents
3.7%; seats by party - EPP 265, S&D 184, ALDE 84, Greens/EFA 55, ECR
54, GUE/NGL 35, EFD 32, independents 27
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
unicameral Legislative Assembly
(10 seats; 2 members are ex officio and 8 are elected by popular
vote; members to serve four-year terms); presided over by the
governor
elections: last held on 5 November 2009 (next to be held in November
2013)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 8
Faroe Islands
unicameral Faroese Parliament or Logting (33 seats;
members elected by popular vote on a proportional basis from the
seven constituencies to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 19 January 2008 (next to be held no later
than January 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - Union Party 21%, Social
Democratic Party 19.3%, Republican Party 23.3%, People's Party
20.1%, Center Party 8.4%, Independence Party 7.2%, other 0.7%; seats
by party - Republican Party 8, Union Party 7, Social Democratic
Party 6, People's Party 7, Center Party 3, Independence Party 2
note: election of two seats to the Danish Parliament was last held
on 13 November 2007 (next to be held no later than November 2011);
results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican
Party 1, Union Party 1
Fiji
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (32 seats; 14
members appointed by the president on the advice of the Great
Council of Chiefs, 9 appointed by the president on the advice of the
Prime Minister, 8 on the advice of the opposition leader, and 1
appointed on the advice of the council of Rotuma) and the House of
Representatives (71 seats; 23 members reserved for ethnic Fijians,
19 reserved for ethnic Indians, 3 reserved for other ethnic groups,
1 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 on 6-13 May 2006
(next to be held in 2011)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - SDL 44.6%, FLP 39.2%, UPP 0.8%, independents 4.9%, other
10.5%; seats by party - SDL 36, FLP 31, UPP 2, independents 2
Finland
unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats; members
elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve four-year
terms)
elections: last held on 18 March 2007 (next to be held in April 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - Kesk 23.1%, Kok 22.3%,
SDP 21.4%, VAS 8.8%, VIHR 8.5%, KD 4.9%, SFP 4.5%, True Finns 4.1%,
other 3.4%; seats by party - Kesk 51, Kok 50, SDP 45, VAS 17, VIHR
15, SFP 9, KD 7, True Finns 5, other 1 (the constituency of Aland)
France
bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or
Senat (343 seats; 321 for metropolitan France and overseas
departments, 2 for New Caledonia, 2 for Mayotte, 1 for Saint-Pierre
and Miquelon, 1 for Saint-Barthelemy, 1 for Saint-Martin, 3 for
overseas territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members
indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve six-year terms;
one third elected every three years); note - between 2006 and 2011,
15 new seats will be added to the Senate for a total of 348 seats -
326 for metropolitan France and overseas departments, 2 for New
Caledonia, 2 for Mayotte, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 1 for
Saint-Barthelemy, 1 for Saint-Martin, 3 for overseas territories,
and 12 for French nationals abroad; starting in 2008, members will
be indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve six-year
terms with one-half elected every three years; and the National
Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; 555 for metropolitan
France, 15 for overseas departments, 7 for dependencies; members
elected by popular vote under a single-member majority system to
serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 21 September 2008 (next to be held
in September 2014); National Assembly - last held on 10 and 17 June
2007 (next to be held in June 2012)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - UMP 151, PS 102, PCF 22, MoDem 11, NC 11, Greens 5, PG 2,
other 39; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - UMP 46.4%,
PS 42.2%, miscellaneous left wing parties 2.5%, PCF 2.3%, NC 2.1%,
PRG 1.6%, miscellaneous right wing parties 1.2%, the Greens 0.4%,
other 1.2%; seats by party - UMP 313, PS 186, NC 22, miscellaneous
left wing parties 15, PCF 16, miscellaneous right wing parties 9,
PRG 7, the Greens 3, other 6
French Polynesia
unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee
Territoriale (57 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held on 27 January 2008 (first round) and 10
February 2008 (second round) (next to be held in 2013)
election results: percent of vote by party - Our Home alliance
45.2%, Union for Democracy alliance 37.2%, Popular Rally (Tahoeraa
Huiraatira) 17.2% other 0.5%; seats by party - Our Home alliance 27,
Union for Democracy alliance 20, Popular Rally 10
note: two seats were elected to the French Senate on 21 September
2008 (next to be held in September 2014); results - percent of vote
by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1, independent 1; two seats were
elected to the French National Assembly on 10-17 June 2007 (next to
be held in 2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - UMP 2
Gabon
bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (102 seats;
members elected by members of municipal councils and departmental
assemblies to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly or
Assemblee Nationale (120 seats; members are elected by direct,
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 18 January 2009 (next to be held in
January 2015); National Assembly - last held on 17 and 24 December
2006 (next to be held in December 2011)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - PDG 75, RPG 6, UGDD 3, CLR 2, PGCI 2, PSD 2, UPG 2, ADERE 1,
independents 9; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - PDG 82, RPG 8, UPG 8, UGDD 4, ADERE 3, CLR 2,
PGP-Ndaot 2, PSD 2, independents 4, others 5
Gambia, The
unicameral National Assembly (53 seats; 48 members
elected by popular vote, 5 appointed by the president; members to
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 25 January 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
APRC 47, UDP 4, NADD 1, independent 1
Georgia
unicameral Parliament or Parlamenti (also known as Supreme
Council or Umaghlesi Sabcho) (150 seats; 75 members elected by
proportional representation, 75 from single-seat constituencies;
members to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 21 May 2008 (next to be held in the spring
of 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - United National
Movement 59.2%, National Council-New Rights (a Joint Opposition,
nine-party bloc) 17.7%, Christian Democratic Movement 8.8%, Labor
Party 7.4%, Republican Party 3.8%; seats by party - United National
Movement 120, National Council-New Rights 16, Christian Democratic
Movement 6, Labor Party 6, Republican Party 2
Germany
bicameral legislature consists of the Federal Council or
Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments sit in the Council; each has
three to six votes in proportion to population and is required to
vote as a block) and the Federal Diet or Bundestag (622 seats;
members elected by popular vote for a four-year term under a system
of personalized proportional representation; a party must win 5% of
the national vote or three direct mandates to gain proportional
representation and caucus recognition)
elections: Bundestag - last held on 27 September 2009 (next to be
held no later than autumn 2013); 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: Bundestag - percent of vote by party - CDU/CSU
33.8%, SPD 23%, FDP 14.6%, Left 11.9%, Greens 10.7%, other 6%; seats
by party - CDU/CSU 239, SPD 146, FDP 93, Left 76, Greens 68
Ghana
unicameral Parliament (230 seats; members elected by direct,
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 7 December 2008 (next to be held on 7
December 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
NDC 114, NPP 107, PNC 2, CPP 1, independent 4, other 2
Gibraltar
unicameral Parliament (18 seats: 17 members elected by
popular vote, 1 for the speaker appointed by Parliament; members
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 October 2007 (next to be held not later
than October 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - GSD 49.3%, GSLP 31.8%,
Gibraltar Liberal Party 13.6%; seats by party - GSD 10, GSLP 4,
Gibraltar Liberal Party 3
Greece
unicameral Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats;
members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 4 October 2009 (next to be held by 2013)
election results: percent of vote by party - PASOK 43.9%, ND 33.5%,
KKE 7.5%, LAOS 5.6%, SYRIZA 4.6%, other 4.9%; seats by party - PASOK
160, ND 91, KKE 21, LAOS 15, SYRIZA 13; note - seats by party as of
15 December 2010 - PASOK 156, ND 86, KKE 21 LAOS 15, SYRIZA 9, DISY
5, Democratic Left 4, independents 4 (DISY and Democratic Left
entered parliament as members of ND and SYRIZA, respectively, and
the independents entered parliament as members of PASOK); only
parties supassing a 3% threshold are entitled to parliamentary
seats; parties need 10 seats to become formal parliamentary groups,
but can retain that status if the party participated in the last
election and received the minimum 3% threshold
Greenland
unicameral Parliament or Landsting (31 seats; members
elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation
to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 2 June 2009 (next to be held by 2014)
election results: percent of vote by party - Inuit Ataqatigiit
43.7%, Siumut 26.5%, Demokratiit 12.7%, Atassut 10.9%;
Kattusseqatigiit 3.8%, other 2.4%; seats by party - IA 14, Siumut 9,
Demokraatiit 4, Atassut 3, Kattusseqatigiit 1
note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or
Folketing on 13 November 2007 (next to be held by November 2011);
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Siumut 1, Inuit
Ataqatigiit 1
Grenada
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (13 seats, 10
members appointed by the government and 3 by the leader of the
opposition) and the House of Representatives (15 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 8 July 2008 (next to be held in 2013)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party - NDC 11, NNP 4
Guam
unicameral Legislature (15 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held on 2 November 2010 (next to be held in November
2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
Democratic Party 9, Republican Party 6
note: Guam elects one nonvoting delegate to the US House of
Representatives; election last held on 2 November 2010 (next to be
held in November 2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - Democratic Party 1
Guatemala
unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la
Republica (158 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held on 9 September 2007 (next to be held in
September 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - UNE 30.4%, GANA 23.4%,
PP 18.9%, FRG 9.5%, PU 5.1%, other 12.7%; seats by party - UNE 48,
GANA 37, PP 30, FRG 15, PU 8, CASA 5, EG 4, PAN 4, UCN 4, URNG 2, UD
1
Guernsey
unicameral States of Deliberation (45 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - Alderney
and Sark have parliaments
elections: last held on 23 April 2008 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents
Guinea
unicameral People's National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale
Populaire (114 seats; members elected by a mixed system of direct
popular vote and proportional party lists)
elections: last held on 30 June 2002 (legislative elections first
due in 2007 have been rescheduled multiple times and are currently
unscheduled)
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 elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 16 November 2008 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - PAIGC 49.8%, PRS 25.3%,
PRID 7.5%, PND 2.4%, AD 1.4%, other parties 13.6%; seats by party -
PAIGC 67, PRS 28, PRID 3, PND 1, AD 1
Guyana
unicameral National Assembly (65 seats; members elected by
popular vote, also not more than 4 non-elected non-voting ministers
and 2 non-elected non-voting parliamentary secretaries appointed by
the president; members to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August
2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - PPP/C 54.6%, PNC/R 34%,
AFC 8.1%, other 3.3%; seats by party - PPP/C 36, PNC/R 22, AFC 5,
other 2
Haiti
bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of
the Senate (30 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber
of Deputies (99 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms); note - in reestablishing the Senate in 2006, the
candidate in each department receiving the most votes in the last
election serves six years, the candidate with the second most votes
serves four years, and the candidate with the third most votes
serves two years
elections: Senate - last held on 28 November 2010 with run-off
elections scheduled for 16 January 2011 (next regular election, for
one third of seats, to be held in 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last
held on 28 November 2010 with run-off elections schedule for 16
January 2011 (next regular election to be held in 2014)
election results: 2010 election results are not final; 2006 Senate -
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 11, FUSION
5, OPL 4, FL 3, LAAA 2, UNCRH 2, PONT 2, ALYANS 1; 2006 Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA
23, FUSION 17, FRN 12, OPL 10, ALYANS 10, LAAA 5, MPH 3, MOCHRENA 3,
other 10; results for six other seats contested on 3 December 2006
remain unknown
Holy See (Vatican City)
unicameral Pontifical Commission for Vatican
City State
Honduras
unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (128
seats; members elected proportionally by department to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held on 29 November 2009 (next to be held in
November 2013)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
PNH 71, PL 45, PDC 5, PUD 4, PINU 3
Hong Kong
unicameral Legislative Council or LegCo (60 seats; 30
members indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 30 elected
by popular vote; members serve four-year terms)
note: the LegCo voted in June 2010 to expand to 70 seats for the
next election; the measure was approved by the National People's
Congress Standing Committee in August 2010; the 10 new seats will be
chosen by popular vote
elections: last held on 7 September 2008 (next to be held in
September 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - pro-democracy 57%;
pro-Beijing 40%, independent 3%; seats by parties - (pro-Beijing 35)
DAB 13, Liberal Party 7, FTU 1, others 14; (pro-democracy 23)
Democratic Party 8, Civic Party 5, CTU 3, League of Social Democrats
3, ADPL 2, The Frontier 1, NWSC 1; others 11; independents and
non-voting LegCo president 2
Hungary
unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (386 seats;
members elected by popular vote under a system of proportional and
direct representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 11 and 25 April 2010 (next to be held in
April 2014)
election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote
required for parliamentary representation in the first round) -
Fidesz 52.7%, MSzP 19.3%, Jobbik 16.7%, LMP 7.5%; seats by party -
Fidesz 263, MSzP 59, Jobbik 47, LMP 16, independent 1
Iceland
unicameral Parliament or Althing (63 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 25 April 2009 (next to be held in 2013)
election results: percent of vote by party - Social Democratic
Alliance 29.8%, Independence Party 23.7%, Left-Green Movement 21.7%,
Progressive Party 14.8%, Citizens' Movement 7.2%, other 2.8%; seats
by party - Social Democratic Alliance 20, Independence Party 16,
Left-Green Alliance 14, Progressive Party 9, Citizens' Movement 4
note: the Citizens' Movement disintegrated in September 2009; three
of its former MPs are now represented under the banner of The
Movement and the fourth former MP is an independent
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 members elected by
popular vote, 2 appointed by the president; members serve five-year
terms)
elections: People's Assembly - last held in five phases on 16,
22-23, 30 April and 7, 13 May 2009 (next must be held by May 2014)
election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - INC 206, BJP 116, SP 23, BSP 21, JD (U) 20, AITC
19, DMK 18, CPI-M 16, BJD 14, SS 11, AIADMK 9, NCP 9, other 61,
vacant 2; note - seats by party as November 2009 - INC 207, BJP 116,
SP 22, BSP 21, JD (U) 20, AITC 19, DMK 18, CPI-M 16, BJD 14, SS 11,
AIADMK 9, NCP 9, other 61, vacant 2
Indonesia
People's Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan
Rakyat or MPR) is the upper house; it consists of members of the DPR
and DPD and has role in inaugurating and impeaching the president
and in amending the constitution but does not formulate national
policy; House of Representatives or Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR)
(560 seats, members elected to serve five-year terms), formulates
and passes legislation at the national level; House of Regional
Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah or DPD), constitutionally
mandated role includes providing legislative input to DPR on issues
affecting regions (132 members, four from each of Indonesia's 30
provinces, two special regions, and one special capital city
district)
elections: last held on 9 April 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
election results: percent of vote by party - PD 20.9%, GOLKAR 14.5%,
PDI-P 14.0%, PKS 7.9%, PAN 6.0%, PPP 5.3%, PKB 4.9%, GERINDRA 4.5%,
HANURA 3.8%, others 18.2%; seats by party - PD 148, GOLKAR 107,
PDI-P 94, PKS 57, PAN 46, PPP 37, PKB 28, GERINDRA 26, HANURA 17
note: 29 other parties received less than 2.5% of the vote so did
not obtain any seats; because of election rules, the number of seats
won does not always follow the percentage of votes received by
parties
Iran
unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or
Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami or Majles (290 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 14 March 2008 with a runoff held on 25 April
2008 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party -
conservatives/Islamists 167, reformers 39, independents 74,
religious minorities 5, other 5
Iraq
unicameral Council of Representatives (325 seats consisting of
317 members elected by an optional open-list, proportional
representation system and 8 seats reserved for minorities; members
serve four-year terms); note - Iraq's Constitution calls for the
establishment of an upper house, the Federation Council
elections: last held on 7 March 2010 for an enlarged 325-seat
parliament; next election to be held in 2014
election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by
coalition - Iraqi National Movement 25.9%, State of Law coalition
25.8%, Iraqi National Alliance 19.4%, Kurdistan Alliance 15.3%,
Goran (Change) List 4.4%, Tawafuq Front 2.7%, Iraqi Unity Alliance
2.9%, Kurdistan Islamic Union 2.3%, Kurdistan Islamic Group 1.4%;
seats by coalition - Iraqi National Movement 91, State of Law
Coalition 89, Iraqi National Alliance 70, Kurdistan Alliance 43,
Goran (Change) List 8, Tawafuq Front 6, Iraqi Unity Alliance 4,
Kurdistan Islamic Union 4, Kurdistan Islamic Group 2, seats reserved
for minorities 8