bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate or
Seanad Eireann (60 seats; 49 members 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
elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation
to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held in July 2007 (next to be held probably
in early 2011); House of Representatives - last held on 24 May 2007
(next to be held probably in early 2011)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - Fianna Fail 28, Fine Gael 14, Labor Party 6, Progressive
Democrats 2, Green Party 2, Sein Fein 1, independents 7; House of
Representatives - percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 41.6%, Fine
Gael 27.3%, Labor Party 10.1%, Sinn Fein 6.9%, Green Party 4.7%,
Progressive Democrats 2.7%, other 6.7%; seats by party - Fianna Fail
78, Fine Gael 51, Labor Party 20, Sinn Fein 4, Green Party 6,
Progressive Democrats 2, independents 4, Speaker of the Dail 1; note
- through dissertions and attrition the makeup of both houses is
greatly changed
note: on 8 November 2008, delegates voted to disband the Progressive
Democrats, and in November 2009 it officially stopped operating as a
political party
Isle of Man
bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council
(11 seats; members 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
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Keys - last held on 23 November 2006 (next to be
held in November 2011)
election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - Liberal Vannin Party 2, Manx Labor Party 1,
independents 21
Israel
unicameral Knesset (120 seats; political parties are elected
by popular vote and assigned seats for members on a proportional
basis; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 10 February 2009 (next scheduled election to
be held in 2013)
election results: percent of vote by party - Kadima 23.2%, Likud-Ahi
22.3%, YB 12.1%, Labor 10.2%, SHAS 8.8%, United Torah Judaism 4.5%,
United Arab List 3.5%, National Union 3.4%, Hadash 3.4%, The Jewish
Home 3%, The New Movement-Meretz 3%, Balad 2.6%; seats by party -
Kadima 28, Likud-Ahi 27, YB 15, Labor 13, SHAS 11, United Torah
Judaism 5, United Arab List 4, National Union 4, HADASH 4, The
Jewish Home 3, The New Movement-Meretz 3, Balad 3
Italy
bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or
Senato della Repubblica (315 seats; members elected by proportional
vote with the winning coalition in each region receiving 55% of
seats from that region; members to serve five-year terms; and up to
5 senators for life appointed by the president of the Republic) and
the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; members
elected by popular vote with the winning national coalition
receiving 54% of chamber seats; members to serve five-year terms);
note - it has not been clarified if each president has the power to
designate up to five senators or if five is the number of senators
for life who might sit in the Senate
elections: Senate - last held on 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held
in April 2013); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 13-14 April 2008
(next to be held in April 2013)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - S. BERLUSCONI coalition 174 (PdL 147, LN 25, MpA 2), W.
VELTRONI coalition 132 (PD 118, IdV 3), UdC 3, other 6; Chamber of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - S.
BERLUSCONI coalition 344 (PdL 276, LN 60, MpA 8), W. VELTRONI
coalition 246 (PD 217, IdV 29), UdC 36, other 4
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 8 seats) and the
House of Representatives (60 seats; members elected by popular vote
to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 3 September 2007 (next to be held no later
than October 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - JLP 50.1%, PNP 49.8%;
seats by party - JLP 33, PNP 27
Japan
bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors
or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for fixed six-year terms;
half reelected every three years; 146 members in multi-seat
constituencies and 96 by proportional representation) and the House
of Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for
maximum four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180
members by proportional representation in 11 regional blocs); the
prime minister has the right to dissolve the House of
Representatives at any time with the concurrence of the cabinet
elections: House of Councillors - last held on 11 July 2010 (next to
be held in July 2013); House of Representatives - last held on 30
August 2009 (next to be held by August 2013)
election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party -
DPJ 31.6%, LDP 24.1%, YP 13.6%, NK 13.1%, JCP 6.1%, SDP 3.8%, others
7.7%; seats by party - DPJ 106, LDP 84, NK 19, YP 11, JCP 6, SDP 4,
others 12
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party (by proportional
representation) - DPJ 42.4%, LDP 26.7%, NK 11.5%, JCP 7.0%, SDP
4.3%, others 8.1%; seats by party - DPJ 308, LDP 119, NK 21, JCP 9,
SDP 7, others 16 (2009)
Jersey
unicameral Assembly of the States of Jersey (58 seats; 55 are
voting members, of which 12 are senators elected for six-year terms,
12 are constables or heads of parishes elected for three-year terms,
29 are deputies elected for three-year terms, the bailiff and the
deputy bailiff, and 3 non-voting members include the Dean of Jersey,
the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General appointed by the
monarch)
elections: last held on 15 October 2008 for senators and 26 November
2008 for deputies (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 55
Jordan
bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of
the Senate, also called the House of Notables or Majlis al-Ayan (60
seats; members appointed by the monarch to serve four-year terms)
and the Chamber of Deputies, also called the House of
Representatives or Majlis al-Nuwaab (120 seats; members elected
using a single, non-transferable vote system in multi-member
districts to serve four-year terms); note - the new electoral law
enacted in May 2010 allocated an additional 10 seats (6 seats added
to the number reserved for women, bringing the total to 12; 2
additional seats for Amman; and 1 seat each for the cities of Zarqa
and Irbid; unchanged are 9 seats reserved for Christian candidates,
9 for Bedouin candidates, and 3 for Jordanians of Chechen or
Circassian descent
elections: Chamber of Deputies - last held on 9 November 2010 (next
scheduled in 2014); note - the King dissolved the previous Chamber
of Deputies in November 2009, midway through the parliamentary term
election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - independents and other 120 (includes 12 seats
filled by women's quota and 1 woman was directly elected); note -
the IAF boycotted the election
Kazakhstan
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (47 seats; 15
members are appointed by the president; 32 members elected by local
assemblies; members serve six-year terms, but elections are
staggered with half of the members up for re-election every three
years) and the Mazhilis (107 seats; 9 out of the 107 Mazhilis
members elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, a
presidentially appointed advisory body designed to represent the
country's ethnic minorities; non-appointed members are popularly
elected to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - (indirect) last held in October 2008 (next to be
held in 2011); Mazhilis - last held on 18 August 2007 (next to be
held in 2012)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - Nur Otan 16; Mazhilis - percent of vote by party - Nur-Otan
88.1%, NSDP 4.6%, Ak Zhol 3.3%, Auyl 1.6%, Communist People's Party
1.3%, Patriots Party 0.8% Ruhaniyat 0.4%; seats by party - Nur-Otan
98; note - parties had to achieve a threshold of 7% of the
electorate to qualify for seats in the Mazhilis; changes to
electoral legislation enacted since the 2007 election now ensure
that the second-placed party will enter the Majilis at the next
parliamentary election, even if it does not clear the 7% threshold
Kenya
unicameral National Assembly or Bunge usually referred to as
Parliament (224 seats; 210 members elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms, 12 nominated members appointed by the president but
selected by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote
totals, 2 ex-officio members)
elections: last held on 27 December 2007 (next to be held in
December 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
ODM 99, PNU 46, ODM-K 16, KANU 14 other 35; ex-officio 2; seats
appointed by the president - ODM 6, PNU 3, ODM-K 2, KANU 1
Kiribati
unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (46
seats; 44 members elected by popular vote, 1 ex officio member - the
attorney general, 1 nominated by the Rabi Council of Leaders
(representing Banaba Island); members serve four-year terms)
elections: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first
round on 22 August 2007 and the second round on 30 August 2007 (next
to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
NA, other 2 (includes attorney general)
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 on 8 March 2009 (next to be held in March 2014)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected
without opposition; a token number of seats are reserved for minor
parties
Korea, South
unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats; 245
members elected in single-seat constituencies, 54 elected by
proportional representation; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 9 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
GNP 172, UDP 83, LFP 20, PPA 8, DLP 5, RKP 1, independents 9
Kosovo
unicameral national Assembly (120 seats; 100 seats directly
elected, 10 seats guaranteed for ethnic Serbs, 10 seats guaranteed
for other ethnic minorities; members to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 17 November 2007 (next expected to be held
in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - PDK 34.3%, LDK 22.6%,
AKR 12.3%, LDD 10.0%, AAK 9.6%, other 11.2%; seats by party - PDK
37, LDK 25, AKR 13, LDD 11, AAK 10, other 4
Kuwait
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (50 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; all
cabinet ministers are also ex officio voting members of the National
Assembly)
elections: last held on 16 May 2009 (next election to be held in
2013)
election results: percent of vote by bloc - NA; seats by bloc -
tribal MPs 25 (all Sunni Muslims, and represented primarily by the
Al-Mutairi, Al-Azmi, Al-Ajmi, and Al-Rasheedi tribes), Shia Muslims
9, liberals 7, independents 6, Salafi (Sunni) Islamists 3
Kyrgyzstan
unicameral Supreme Council or Jogorku Kengesh (120 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 10 October 2007 (next to be held in 2015)
election results: Supreme Council - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - Ata-Jurt 28, SDPK 26, Ar-Namys 25, Respublika 23,
Ata-Meken 18
Laos
unicameral National Assembly (115 seats; members elected by
popular vote from a list of candidates selected by the Lao People's
Revolutionary Party to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 30 on April 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
LPRP 113, independents 2
Latvia
unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members elected
by proportional representation from party lists by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 2 October 2010 (next to be held in October
2014)
election results: percent of vote by party - Unity bloc 31.2%, SC
26%, ZZS 19.7%, National Alliance 7.7%, For a Good Latvia bloc 7.7%;
seats by party - Unity Coalition 33, SC 29, ZZS 22, National
Alliance 8, For a Good Latvia 8
Lebanon
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Nuwab (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 on 7 June 2009 (next to be held in 2013)
election results: percent of vote by group - March 8 Coalition
54.7%, March 14 Coalition 45.3%; seats by group - March 14 Coalition
71; March 8 Coalition 57
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 popular vote and 40 by
proportional vote; members elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held on 17 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
LCD 61, NIP 21, ABC 17, LWP 10, ACP 4, BNP 3, other 4
Liberia
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (30
seats; note - number of seats changed in 11 October 2005 elections;
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 on 11 October 2005 (next to be held in
October 2011); House of Representatives - last held on 11 October
2005 (next to be held in October 2011)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - COTOL 7, NPP 4, CDC 3, LP 3, UP 3, APD 3, other 7; House of
Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
CDC 15, LP 9, COTOL 8, UP 8, APD 5, NPP 4, other 15; note - the UP
now holds 13 out of 30 senate seats and 16 out of 64 house seats
following a merger with several smaller parties in 2009
note: junior senators - those who received the second most votes in
each county in the 11 October 2005 election - will only serve a
six-year first term because the Liberian constitution mandates
staggered Senate elections to ensure continuity of government; all
senators will be eligible for nine-year terms thereafter
Libya
unicameral General People's Congress (760 seats; members
elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees)
Liechtenstein
unicameral Parliament or Landtag (25 seats; members
elected by popular vote under proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held on 8 February 2009 (next to be held in February
2013)
election results: percent of vote by party - VU 47.6%, FBP 43.5%, FL
8.9%; seats by party - VU 13, FBP 11, FL 1
Lithuania
unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats; 71 members
elected by popular vote, 70 elected by proportional representation;
members to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 12 and 26 October 2008 (next to be held in
October 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - TS-LKD 19.7%, TPP
15.1%, TT 12.7%, LSDP 11.7%, KDP+J 9%, LRLS 5.7%, LCS 5.3%, LLRA
4.8%, LVLS 3.7%, NS 3.6%, other 8.7%; seats by faction - TS-LKD 44,
LSDP 26, TPP 16, TT 15, LRLS 11, KDP+J 10, LCS 8, LLRA 3, LVLS 3, NS
1, independent 4; note - seats by faction as of 15 March 2010 -
TS-LKD 46, LSDP 25, TT 18, Christian Party 12, LS 11, DP 10, LCS 7,
TPP 7, unaffiliated 5; note - TS-LKD, LS, LCS, and TPP form the
ruling coalition
Luxembourg
unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (60
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 7 June 2009 (next to be held by June 2014)
election results: percent of vote by party - CSV 38%, LSAP 21.6%, DP
15%, Green Party 11.7%, ADR 8.1%, The Left 3.3%, other 2.3%; seats
by party - CSV 26, LSAP 13, DP 9, Green Party 7, ADR 4, The Left 1
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 Assembly (29 seats; 12 members elected
by popular vote, 10 by indirect vote, and 7 appointed by the chief
executive; members to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 20 September 2009 (next to be held in
September 2013)
election results: percent of vote - UPD 14.9%, ACUM 12%, APMD 11.6%,
NUDM 9.9%, UPP 9.9%, ANMD 7.8%, UMG 7.3%, MUDAR 5.5%, others 21.1%;
seats by political group - UPD 2, ACUM 2, APMD 2, NUMD 1, UPP 1,
ANMD 1, UMG 1, MUDAR 1; 10 seats filled by professional and business
groups; 7 members appointed by the 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; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 1 June and 15 June 2008 (next to be held by
July 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - VMRO-DPMNE-led block
49%, SDSM-led block 24%, BDI/DUI 13%, PDSh/DPA 8%, other 6%; seats
by party - VMRO-DPMNE-led block 63, SDSM-led block 27, BDI/DUI 18,
PDSh/DPA 11, PEI 1
Madagascar
bicameral legislature consists of a Senate or Senat (100
seats; two-thirds of the members appointed by regional assemblies;
the remaining one-third appointed by the president; members to serve
four-year terms) and a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (127
seats - reduced from 160 seats by an April 2007 national referendum;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: National Assembly - last held on 23 September 2007 (next
to be held on 16 March 2011); note - a power-sharing agreement in
the summer of 2009 established a 15-month transition, concluding in
general elections
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - TIM 106, LEADER/Fanilo 1, independents 20
Malawi
unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 19 May 2009 (next to be held in May 2014)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
DPP 114, MCP 26, UDF 17, independents 32, other 4
Malaysia
bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of Senate or
Dewan Negara (70 seats; 44 members appointed by the king, 26 elected
by 13 state legislatures to serve three-year terms with a two term
limit) and House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (222 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve up to five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held on 8 March 2008
(next to be held by June 2013)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - BN
coalition 50.3%, opposition parties 46.8%, others 2.9%; seats - BN
coalition 140, opposition parties 82
Maldives
unicameral People's Council or People's Majlis (77 seats;
members elected by direct vote to serve five-year terms); note - the
Majlis in February 2009 passed legislation that increased the number
of seats to 77 from 50
elections: last held on 9 May 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
election results: percent of vote - DRP 36.4%, MDP 33.8 %, PA 9.1%,
DQP 2.6% Republican Party 1.2%, independents 16.9%; seats by party -
DRP 28, MDP 26, PA 7, DQP 2, Republican Party 1, independents 13
Mali
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (147 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 1 and 22 July 2007 (next to be held in July
2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
ADP coalition 113 (ADEMA 51, URD 34, MPR 8, CNID 7, UDD 3, and other
10), FDR coalition 15 (RPM 11, PARENA 4), SADI 4, independent 15
Malta
unicameral House of Representatives (normally 65 seats;
members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional
representation to serve five-year terms; note - the Parliament
elected in 2008 is composed of 69 seats; when the political party
winning the plurality of votes does not win a majority of seats, the
constitution provides that a sufficient number of seats will be
added to Parliament to ensure that the party that won the elections
has a majority in Parliament)
elections: last held on 8 March 2008 (next to be held by March 2013)
election results: percent of vote by party - PN 49.3%, PL 48.8%,
other 1.9%; seats by party - PN 35, PL 34
Marshall Islands
unicameral legislature or Nitijela (33 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 19 November 2007 (next to be held by
November 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
independents 4
note: the Council of Chiefs or Ironij is a 12-member body comprised
of tribal chiefs that advises on matters affecting customary law and
practice
Mauritania
bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis
al-Shuyukh (56 seats; 53 members elected by municipal leaders and 3
members elected for Mauritanians abroad to serve six-year terms; a
portion of seats up for election every two years) and the National
Assembly or Al Jamiya Al Wataniya (95 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on November 2009; National Assembly -
last held on 19 November and 3 December 2006 (next to be held in
2011)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - CPM (Coalition of Majority Parties) 45, COD (Coordination of
Democratic Opposition) 7, RNRD-TAWASSOUL 4; National Assembly -
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPM 63 (UPR 50, PRDR
7, UDP 3, HATEM-PMUC 2, RD 1), COD 27 (RFD 9, UFP 6, APP 6,
PNDD-ADIL 6), RNRD-TAWASSOUL 4, FP 1
Mauritius
unicameral National Assembly (70 seats; 62 members elected
by popular vote, 8 appointed by the election commission to give
representation to various ethnic minorities; members to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held on 5 May 2010 (next to be held in 2015)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AF
41, MMM 18, MR 2, MSF 1; appointed seats - to be assigned 8
Mayotte
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held on 9 and 16 March 2008 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
UMP 8, Diverse Right 4, independents 4, Citizens and Republic
Movement 1, Democratic Movement 1, Diverse Left 1; note - political
parties are the same as parties in France
note: Mayotte elects two members of the French Senate; elections
last held 21 September 2008 (next to be held in September 2014);
results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UC-UDF 1,
UMP 1; Mayotte also elects one member to the French National
Assembly; elections last held 10-17 June 2007 (next to be held in
2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
independent 1
Mexico
bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists
of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 members elected
by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 seats allocated on
the basis of each party's popular vote) and the Chamber of Deputies
or Camara de Diputados (500 seats; 300 members are elected by
popular vote; remaining 200 members are allocated on the basis of
each party's popular vote; members to serve three-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 2 July 2006 for all of the seats
(next to be held on 1 July 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held on
5 July 2009 (next to be held on 1 July 2012)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - PAN 52, PRI 33, PRD 26, PVEM 6, CD 5, PT 5, independent 1;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party
- PRI 237, PAN 143, PRD 72, PVEM 21, PT 13, CD 6, other 8; note - as
of 1 January 2011, the current composition of the Senate is: PAN 50,
PRI 33, PRD 25, PVEM 6, CD 6, PT 5, independent 3; the current
composition of the Chamber of Deputies is: PRI 237, PAN 142, PRD 69,
PVEM 21, PT 13, CD 8, other 10
Micronesia, Federated States of
unicameral Congress (14 seats; 4 -
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: last held on 3 March 2009 (next to be held in March 2011)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 14