Bulgaria
On 30 March 2006, the Parliament adopted constitutional amendments designed to strengthen the country's judicial system and limit parliamentary immunity. Following the amendments, Parliament has the ability to remove the Attorney General and members of the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Supreme Administrative Court, including the Chief Magistrate, by a two-thirds vote in case of grave violations and failure to carry out their functions. Meanwhile, the Attorney General may now ask for parliamentary immunity to be lifted for "all" crimes, not just for "grave crimes committed in flagrante delicto", as was previously the case. The amendments on parliamentary immunity follow recent allegations of paedophilia and misuse of State funds by members of parliament.

Iraq
The newly-elected Council of Representatives, which had been adjourned immediately after its first session on 16 March 2006, reconvened on 22 April 2006 and elected Mr. Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani as its new Speaker. On the same day, the Council re-elected Mr. Jalal Talabani as President of the Republic, who then appointed Mr. Jawad Al-Maliki, former Deputy Speaker of the Transitional National Assembly, as Prime Minister. On 20 May 2006, the first permanent government since the fall of President Saddam Hussein was approved by Parliament and sworn in.

Nepal
Following a wave of street protests, King Gyanendra, who had assumed absolute direct power over the kingdom on 1 February 2005, agreed to reinstate the House of Representatives, the Lower House of the Nepalese Parliament on 24 April 2006. The House had been dissolved on 22 May 2002 in order to hold early parliamentary elections, which were then postponed indefinitely. Consequently, the country had not had a functioning parliament as the Nepalese Constitution stipulates that the Upper House of the Nepalese Parliament, the National Assembly, cannot be convened without the House of Representatives.

The reinstated House of Representatives held its first session on 28 April 2006. On 13 May 2006, it elected Mr. Subash Chandra Nemwang of the Communist Party of Nepal as the new Speaker, replacing Mr. Tara Nath Ranabhat, who had resigned on 26 April 2006 over his role during the absence of parliament. On 18 May 2006, it unanimously passed a nine-point proclamation on the sovereignty of the Nepalese people. This proclamation stipulates that the House is vested with all legislative functions of the State while executive rights are assumed by the Council of Ministers (cabinet), which is accountable to the House of Representatives. The proclamation further reduces the King's power, by vesting the House with the right to make laws related to the succession to the throne and revoking the Privy Council (Raj Parishad), one of the King's advisory bodies, which had been ctive in political affairs and had advised the King to take the direct power over the kingdom in February 2005.

The reinstatement of the House of Representatives thus enables the National Assembly to meet with its remaining 18 members, whose mandate is due to expire in July 2007.

Nigeria
On 16 May 2006, the Senate rejected proposed constitutional amendments that would have allowed the country's President and State Governors to seek a third term in office. To be adopted, the amendments required the approval of a twothirds majority in both Houses of Parliament and in Sate assemblies.

Serbia-and-Montenegro
On 21 May 2006, the Republic of Montenegro voted by referendum for independence from its State Union with Serbia. The State Union had been formed in March 2003 under the EU-brokered Belgrade Agreement of March 2002 as the successor State to the former Yugoslavia. With a high voter turnout of 86 per cent, the final results in the referendum registered 55.5 per cent of votes in favour of independence, narrowly surpassing the required majority of 55 per cent. Based on the Constitutional Charter of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, Serbia will become the successor of the State Union, while Montenegro will have to seek international recognition as an independent State.

Following the referendum, the Montenegrin Assembly formally declared independence from the State Union with Serbia on 3 June 2006. On 5 June, the Serbian Parliament recognized Serbia to be the successor of the State Union, at a session that was boycotted by opposition members. The Assembly of Serbia and Montenegro, which was the parliamentary institution of the State Union, will thus cease to function shortly.