India
bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of the Council of
States or Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than 250
members up to 12 of whom are appointed by the president, the
remainder are chosen by the elected members of the state and
territorial assemblies; members serve six-year terms) and the
People's Assembly or Lok Sabha (545 seats; 543 elected by popular
vote, 2 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)
elections: People's Assembly - last held 20 April through 10 May
2004 (next must be held by May 2009)
election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - INC 147, BJP 129, CPI (M) 43, SP 38, RJD 23, DMK
16, BSP 15, SS 12, BJD 11, CPI 10, NCP 10, JD (U) 8, SAD 8, PMK 6,
JMM 5, LJSP 4, MDMK 4, TDP 4, TRS 4, independent 6, other 29, vacant
13; note - seats by party as of December 2006
Indonesia
House of Representatives or Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR)
(550 seats; members elected to serve five-year terms); House of
Regional Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah or DPD),
constitutionally mandated role includes providing legislative input
to DPR on issues affecting regions; People's Consultative Assembly
(Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat or MPR) has role in inaugurating and
impeaching president and in amending constitution; consists of
popularly elected members in DPR and DPD; MPR does not formulate
national policy
elections: last held 5 April 2004 (next to be held 8 or 9 April 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - Golkar 21.6%, PDI-P
18.5%, PKB 10.6%, PPP 8.2%, PD 7.5%, PKS 7.3%, PAN 6.4%, others
19.9%; seats by party - Golkar 128, PDI-P 109, PPP 58, PD 55, PAN
53, PKB 52, PKS 45, others 50
note: because of election rules, the number of seats won does not
always follow the percentage of votes received by parties
Iran
unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or
Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami or Majles (290 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 14 March 2008 with a runoff held 25 April 2008
(next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party -
conservatives/Islamists 170, reformers 46, independents 71,
religious minorities 3
Iraq
Council of Representatives (consisting of 275 members elected
by a closed-list, proportional representation system)
elections: last held 15 December 2005 to elect a 275-member Council
of Representatives (next to be held January 2009); the Council of
Representatives elected the Presidency Council and approved the
prime minister and two deputy prime ministers
election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - Unified Iraqi Alliance 41%, Kurdistan Alliance 22%, Tawafuq
Coalition 15%, Iraqi National List 8%, Iraqi Front for National
Dialogue 4%, other 10%; number of seats by party (as of November
2007) - Unified Iraqi Alliance (including the Sadrist bloc with 30
and Fadilah with 15) 130, Kurdistan Alliance 53, Tawafuq Front 44,
Iraqi National List 25, Fadilah 15, Iraqi Front for National
Dialogue 11, other 12
Ireland
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; to serve five-year terms) and the
House of Representatives or Dail Eireann (166 seats; members are
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 by July
2012); House of Representatives - last held 24 May 2007 (next to be
held by May 2012)
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, other 5
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
are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Keys - last held 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, Man Labor Party 1,
independents 21
Israel
unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members elected by popular
vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 2006 (next scheduled to be held in
February 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - Kadima 22%, Labor
15.1%, SHAS 9.5%, Likud 9%, Yisrael Beiteinu 9%, NU/NRP 7.1%, GIL
5.9%, Torah and Shabbat Judaism 4.7%, Meretz-YAHAD 3.8%, United Arab
List 3%, Balad 2.3%, HADASH 2.7%, other 5.9%; seats by party -
Kadima 29, Labor 19, Likud 12, SHAS 12, Yisrael Beiteinu 11, NU/NRP
9, GIL 7, Torah and Shabbat Judaism 6, Meretz-YAHAD 5, United Arab
List 4, Balad 3, HADASH 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; to serve five-year terms) 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; to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held
April 2010); Chamber of Deputies - last held 13-14 April 2008 (next
to be held in April 2010)
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 are elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 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 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
four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by
proportional representation in 11 regional blocs)
elections: House of Councillors - last held 29 July 2007 (next to be
held in July 2010); House of Representatives - last held 11
September 2005 (next election by September 2009)
election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - DPJ 109, LDP 83, Komeito 20, JCP 7, SDP 5,
others 18
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party (in single-seat
constituencies) - LDP 47.8%, DPJ 36.4%, others 15.8%; seats by party
- LDP 296, DPJ 113, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 24 (2007)