| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Sapha Heng Xat / National Assembly |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
30 April 2011 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all seats in the National Assembly on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
At stake in the April 2011 elections were 132 seats in the National Assembly, up from 115.
In the previous elections held in April 2006, the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) - the only political party since the Lao People's Democratic Republic was established in 1975 - took 113 of the 115 seats at stake, with the remaining two going to independents. In June, the National Assembly elected LPRP leader Choummaly Sayasone as the new President of the Republic and former deputy prime minister Mr. Bouasone Bouphavanh as the new Prime Minister, replacing Mr. Boungnang Vorachit.
In December 2010, Mr. Bouasone resigned and was replaced by Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Thonsing Thammavong. The then Deputy Speaker, Ms. Pany Yathotou, succeeded the latter, becoming the first female Speaker in Laos since 1975.
In recent years, the government has been gradually liberalizing the economy in an attempt to help the country graduate from the category of least developed countries (LDCs) by 2020. In January 2011, Laos opened a stock market, Lao Securities Exchange (LSX), in the capital, Vientiane. The LSX is initially offering shares in two State-owned companies.
On 20 March 2011, the national congress of the LPRP re-elected Mr. Choummaly, 75, as its leader for a second five-year term. The congress also adopted a series of policies to be implemented by 2015, which aim at political stability and sound economic development. The LPRP Government wants to reduce the number of poverty-stricken households to below 10 per cent of the population and promote enhanced regional and international integration.
In all, 190 candidates were nominated for the 2011 elections: 47 central government staff and 143 local officials. Four of the candidates work for State-owned enterprises, while five are entrepreneurs of private enterprises. 45 were members of the outgoing legislature. Most candidates were members of the LPRP while five independent candidates were also vying for seats.
President Choummaly said that to better develop the nation, citizens need "good and suitable representatives" who are willing to discuss their problems.
According to the official figure, 99.6 per cent of the 3.2 million registered voters turned out at the polls.
The final results gave 128 seats to the LPRP while the four remaining seats went to independents. About 50 of the newly elected members are representatives of minorities. In all, 33 women were elected.
On 15 June, the newly-elected National Assembly held its first session and re-elected Ms. Pany Yathotou (LPRP) as its Speaker. It also re-elected Mr. Choummaly as the President of the Republic and Mr. Thonsing as Prime Minister. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 30 April 2011 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
3'240'000
3'230'000 (99.69%)
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) |
128
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
99
33
25.00%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
| Source: National Assembly (11.06.2011, 15.06.2011) |
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
