Chamber:
	Sapha Heng Xat
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	21 December 1997
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for all seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the member's term of office.
Background and outcome of elections:
	In the 1997 general elections, 159 candidates vied for the enlarged National Assembly’s 99 seats (raised from 85). All but four were members of the ruling, communist Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) - the dominant group in the umbrella Lao Front for National Reconstruction. A further six non-party candidatures were rejected. Only some one-third of those finally running were incumbents. During a quiet campaign, the authorities acknowledged that the crucial task of the fourth National Assembly (i.e., since the LPRP took power in 1975) would be to push for more political reform, especially now that Laos was a full member of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). On polling day, the LPRP maintained its dominance of Parliament. In February 1998, a new President of the Republic to replace Mr. Nouhak Phoumsavanh was to be chosen by the National Assembly. At the same time, a new Prime Minister would also be selected; this post is currently held by Gen. Khamtay Siphandone, who is expected to take over the presidency.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (21 December 1997): Elections results
Number of registered electors	2,299,128
Voters	2,284,632 (99.36%)

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total
Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP)	98
Independents	1

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	78
Women:	21
Percent of women:	21.21

Distribution of seats according to age:
Under 40 years	5
40-49 years	39
50-59 years	48
60-79 years	7