| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Conseil national / National Council |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
3 February 2008 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in the National Council on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
The February 2008 elections were the first to be held under the reign of HRH Sovereign Prince Albert II of Monaco
who succeeded his father
Prince Rainier
upon the latter's death in April 2005.
In the previous elections held in February 2003
the opposition coalition
the Union for Monaco (UPM) led by Mr. Stéphane Valéri comprising the Union for the Principality (UP)
the National Union for the Future of Monaco (UNAM)
and the Promotion of the Monegasque Family (PFM) had won 21 of the 24 seats in the National Council. The National and Democratic Union (UND)
which had dominated the country's politics for 40 years
had taken only three seats. Its leader and outgoing Speaker
Mr. Jean Louis Campora
had lost his seat. Mr. Valéri was subsequently elected Speaker of the National Council.
Prior to the 2008 elections
the PFM
the Monegasque Synergy
and the Association of Non Attached Monegasques formed an alliance called "Monaco Together". Another opposition coalition
Rally and Issues for Monaco (REM)
comprised the Values and Issues party of Mr. Laurent Nouvion and the Rally for Monaco party (RPM) of Mr. Guy Magnan.
In all
63 candidates - 24 each from the UPM and the REM
and 15 from "Monaco Together" - stood for the 2008 elections. All the coalitions pledged to uphold the values of the Principality.
The UPM
led by Speaker Valéri
called for voters' support for continuous "evolution". Its programmes focused on enhancing the quality of life
pursuing economic development and implementing a highly advanced social policy. The UPM's main rival
REM
criticized what it termed as "a drift towards parliamentarism"
claiming that the UPM was trying to transform the monarchy into a parliamentary system. Mr. Valéri dismissed the criticism
reaffirming his loyalty to the Sovereign Prince and to the institutions of the Principality. The "Monaco Together" alliance promised to provide more jobs and facilitate the setting up of companies.
In all
76.85 per cent of the 6
316 registered voters turned out at the polls.
Observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) declared the elections free and fair. They nevertheless recommended early publication of political programmes as well as more public debates so that voters could acquire a better understanding of the platforms of each political party.
The UPM retained its 21 seats
winning nearly 53 per cent of the valid votes. Only the conservative opposition party
REM
secured enough votes (40 %) under the proportional system for three of its representatives to take up seats in parliament. The "Monaco Together" alliance failed to win any parliamentary representation with obout 7 per cent of valid votes. In all
six women were elected.
The newly elected National Council held its first session on 14 February and re-elected Mr. Valéri (UPM) as its Speaker. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 3 February 2008 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
6'316
4'854 (76.85%)
204
4'650 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Union for Monaco (UPM) |
24 |
53'523 |
|
|
1151.03 |
|
|
| Rally and Issues for Monaco (REM) |
24 |
41'512 |
|
|
892.73 |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Union for Monaco (UPM) |
21
|
|
|
|
|
| Rally and Issues for Monaco (REM) |
3
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
18
6
25.00%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
31 to 40 years
41 to 50 years
51 to 60 years
61 to 70 years
Over 70 years
|
3
12
7
1
1
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
| Finance
management or business |
6 |
| Other |
4 |
| Physician
dentist |
4 |
| Entrepreneur |
3 |
| Civil service and local authority administration |
2 |
| Legal profession |
2 |
| Home-maker
care-taker |
1 |
| Education profession |
1 |
| Architect
surveyor
engineer |
1 |
|
| Comments |
Sources:
National Council (25.02.2009
01.01.2010
01.01.2012)
http://www.monaco-mairie.mc/
Note on the number of votes
Each voter casts one ballot paper containing up to 24 candidates. The number of votes won by each political party thus exceeds the total number of voters. |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
