Chapter LXXXIX: Section 3: , telephone 886 (2) 2709-2000, FAX 886 (2) 2702-7675, (24)

New Caledonia:
French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

New Zealand:
English (official), Maori

Nicaragua:
Spanish (official)

note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast

Niger:
French (official), Hausa, Djerma

Nigeria:
English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani

Niue:
Polynesian closely related to Tongan and Samoan, English

Norfolk Island:
English (official), Norfolk a mixture of 18th
century English and ancient Tahitian

Northern Mariana Islands:
English, Chamorro, Carolinian

note: 86% of population speaks a language other than English at home

Norway:
Norwegian (official)

note: small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Oman:
Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects

Pakistan:
Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%,
Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%,
English (official and lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most
government ministries), Burushaski, and other 8%

Palau:
English and Palauan official in all states except Sonsoral
(Sonsorolese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are
official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official)

Panama:
Spanish (official), English 14%

note: many Panamanians bilingual

Papua New Guinea:
English spoken by 1%-2%, pidgin English
widespread, Motu spoken in Papua region

note: 715 indigenous languages

Paraguay:
Spanish (official), Guarani (official)

Peru:
Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara

Philippines:
two official languages - Filipino (based on Tagalog)
and English, eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocan,
Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense

Pitcairn Islands:
English (official), Pitcairnese (mixture of an
18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)

Poland:
Polish

Portugal:
Portuguese

Puerto Rico:
Spanish, English

Qatar:
Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language

Reunion:
French (official), Creole widely used

Romania:
Romanian, Hungarian, German

Russia:
Russian, other

Rwanda:
Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French
(official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in
commercial centers

Saint Helena:
English

Saint Kitts and Nevis:
English

Saint Lucia:
English (official), French patois

Saint Pierre and Miquelon:
French

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:
English, French patois

Samoa:
Samoan (Polynesian), English

San Marino:
Italian

Sao Tome and Principe:
Portuguese (official)

Saudi Arabia:
Arabic

Senegal:
French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka

Seychelles:
English (official), French (official), Creole

Sierra Leone:
English (official, regular use limited to literate
minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne
(principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole,
spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled
in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10%
of the population but understood by 95%)

Singapore:
Chinese (official), Malay (official and national), Tamil
(official), English (official)

Slovakia:
Slovak (official), Hungarian

Slovenia:
Slovenian 91%, Serbo-Croatian 6%, other 3%

Solomon Islands:
Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua
franca, English spoken by 1%-2% of population

note: 120 indigenous languages

Somalia:
Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English

South Africa:
11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English,
Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu

Spain:
Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%,
Basque 2%

Sri Lanka:
Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil
(national language) 18%, other 8%

note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken
competently by about 10% of the population

Sudan:
Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of
Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English

note: program of "Arabization" in process

Suriname:
Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo
(Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of
Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca
among others), Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese

Svalbard:
Russian, Norwegian

Swaziland:
English (official, government business conducted in
English), siSwati (official)

Sweden:
Swedish

note: small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Switzerland:
German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%,
Italian (official) 7.6%, Romansch 0.6%, other 8.9%

Syria:
Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian
widely understood; French, English somewhat understood

Tajikistan:
Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and
business

Tanzania:
Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguju (name for
Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of
commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely
spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages

note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people
living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili
is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety
of sources, including Arabic and English, and it has become the
lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of
most people is one of the local languages

Thailand:
Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic
and regional dialects

Togo:
French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina
(the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes
spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the
north)

Tokelau:
Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English

Tonga:
Tongan, English

Trinidad and Tobago:
English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish,
Chinese

Tunisia:
Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce),
French (commerce)

Turkey:
Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek

Turkmenistan:
Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%

Turks and Caicos Islands:
English (official)

Tuvalu:
Tuvaluan, English

Uganda:
English (official national language, taught in grade
schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio
broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo
languages, preferred for native language publications in the capital
and may be taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages,
Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic

Ukraine:
Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian

United Arab Emirates:
Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi,
Urdu

United Kingdom:
English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of
Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)

United States:
English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority)

Uruguay:
Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on
the Brazilian frontier)

Uzbekistan:
Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%

Vanuatu:
English (official), French (official), pidgin (known as
Bislama or Bichelama)

Venezuela:
Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects

Vietnam:
Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a
second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area
languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Virgin Islands:
English (official), Spanish, Creole

Wallis and Futuna:
French, Wallisian (indigenous Polynesian language)

West Bank:
Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many
Palestinians), English (widely understood)

Western Sahara:
Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

Yemen:
Arabic

Yugoslavia:
Serbian 95%, Albanian 5%

Zambia:
English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi,
Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages

Zimbabwe:
English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the
Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal
dialects

Taiwan:
Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects

======================================================================

@Legal system

Afghanistan:
a new legal system has not been adopted but all
factions tacitly agree they will follow Shari'a (Islamic law)

Albania:
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Algeria:
socialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial review
of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of
various public officials, including several Supreme Court justices;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

American Samoa:
NA

Andorra:
based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial review
of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Angola:
based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law;
recently modified to accommodate political pluralism and increased
use of free markets

Anguilla:
based on English common law

Antarctica:
Antarctica is administered through meetings of the
consultative member nations. Decisions from these meetings are
carried out by these member nations (within their areas) in
accordance with their own national laws. US law, including certain
criminal offenses by or against US nationals, such as murder, may
apply extra-territorially. Some US laws directly apply to
Antarctica. For example, the Antarctic Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C.
section 2401 et seq., provides civil and criminal penalties for the
following activities, unless authorized by regulation of statute:
the taking of native mammals or birds; the introduction of
nonindigenous plants and animals; entry into specially protected
areas; the discharge or disposal of pollutants; and the importation
into the US of certain items from Antarctica. Violation of the
Antarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of up to $10,000 in
fines and one year in prison. The National Science Foundation and
Department of Justice share enforcement responsibilities. Public Law
95-541, the US Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, as amended in
1996, requires expeditions from the US to Antarctica to notify, in
advance, the Office of Oceans and Polar Affairs, Room 5801,
Department of State, Washington, DC 20520, which reports such plans
to other nations as required by the Antarctic Treaty. For more
information, contact Permit Office, Office of Polar Programs,
National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230; telephone:
(703) 292-8030, or see their website at www.nsf.gov.

Antigua and Barbuda:
based on English common law

Argentina:
mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Armenia:
based on civil law system

Aruba:
based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law
influence

Ashmore and Cartier Islands:
the laws of the Northern Territory of
Australia, where applicable, apply

Australia:
based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Austria:
civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of
legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate
administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Azerbaijan:
based on civil law system

Bahamas, The:
based on English common law

Bahrain:
based on Islamic law and English common law

Baker Island:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Bangladesh:
based on English common law

Barbados:
English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts

Bassas da India:
the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Belarus:
based on civil law system

Belgium:
civil law system influenced by English constitutional
theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Belize:
English law

Benin:
based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Bermuda:
English law

Bhutan:
based on Indian law and English common law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Bolivia:
based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Bosnia and Herzegovina:
based on civil law system

Botswana:
based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial
review limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Bouvet Island:
the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply

Brazil:
based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

British Indian Ocean Territory:
the laws of the UK, where
applicable, apply

British Virgin Islands:
English law

Brunei:
based on English common law; for Muslims, Islamic Shari'a
law supersedes civil law in a number of areas

Bulgaria:
civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Burkina Faso:
based on French civil law system and customary law

Burma:
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Burundi:
based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Cambodia:
primarily a civil law mixture of French-influenced codes
from the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC)
period, royal decrees, and acts of the legislature, with influences
of customary law and remnants of communist legal theory; increasing
influence of common law in recent years

Cameroon:
based on French civil law system, with common law
influence; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Canada:
based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil
law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Cape Verde:
derived from the legal system of Portugal

Cayman Islands:
British common law and local statutes

Central African Republic:
based on French law

Chad:
based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Chile:
based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent
codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

China:
a complex amalgam of custom and statute, largely criminal
law; rudimentary civil code in effect since 1 January 1987; new
legal codes in effect since 1 January 1980; continuing efforts are
being made to improve civil, administrative, criminal, and
commercial law

Christmas Island:
under the authority of the governor general of
Australia and Australian law

Clipperton Island:
the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Cocos (Keeling) Islands:
based upon the laws of Australia and local
laws

Colombia:
based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after US
procedures was enacted in 1992-93; judicial review of executive and
legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations

Comoros:
French and Muslim law in a new consolidated code

Congo, Democratic Republic of the:
based on Belgian civil law system
and tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Congo, Republic of the:
based on French civil law system and
customary law

Cook Islands:
based on New Zealand law and English common law

Coral Sea Islands:
the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply

Costa Rica:
based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Cote d'Ivoire:
based on French civil law system and customary law;
judicial review in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Croatia:
based on civil law system

Cuba:
based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of
Communist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Cyprus:
based on common law, with civil law modifications

Czech Republic:
civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to
bring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal
theory

Denmark:
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Djibouti:
based on French civil law system, traditional practices,
and Islamic law

Dominica:
based on English common law

Dominican Republic:
based on French civil codes

Ecuador:
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Egypt:
based on English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleonic
codes; judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State
(oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

El Salvador:
based on civil and Roman law, with traces of common
law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Equatorial Guinea:
partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal
custom

Eritrea:
operates on the basis of transitional laws that incorporate
pre-independence statutes of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front,
revised Ethiopian laws, customary laws, and post independence
enacted laws

Estonia:
based on civil law system; no judicial review of
legislative acts

Ethiopia:
currently transitional mix of national and regional courts

Europa Island:
the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas):
English common law

Faroe Islands:
Danish

Fiji:
based on British system

Finland:
civil law system based on Swedish law; Supreme Court may
request legislation interpreting or modifying laws; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

France:
civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of
administrative but not legislative acts

French Guiana:
French legal system

French Polynesia:
based on French system

French Southern and Antarctic Lands:
the laws of France, where
applicable, apply

Gabon:
based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme
Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Gambia, The:
based on a composite of English common law, Koranic
law, and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations

Georgia:
based on civil law system

Germany:
civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review
of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Ghana:
based on English common law and customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Gibraltar:
English law

Glorioso Islands:
the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Greece:
based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil,
criminal, and administrative courts

Greenland:
Danish

Grenada:
based on English common law

Guadeloupe:
French legal system

Guam:
modeled on US; US federal laws apply

Guatemala:
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Guernsey:
English law and local statute; justice is administered by
the Royal Court

Guinea:
based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree;
legal codes currently being revised; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Guinea-Bissau:
NA

Guyana:
based on English common law with certain admixtures of
Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Haiti:
based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Heard Island and McDonald Islands:
the laws of Australia, where
applicable, apply

Holy See (Vatican City):
NA

Honduras:
rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law with increasing
influence of English common law; recent judicial reforms include
abandoning Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarial
system; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Hong Kong:
based on English common law

Howland Island:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Hungary:
rule of law based on Western model

Iceland:
civil law system based on Danish law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

India:
based on English common law; limited judicial review of
legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations

Indonesia:
based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified by
indigenous concepts and by new criminal procedures code; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Iran:
the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government

Iraq:
based on Islamic law in special religious courts, civil law
system elsewhere; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Ireland:
based on English common law, substantially modified by
indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme
Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Israel:
mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations,
and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal
systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that
it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Italy:
based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials;
judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Jamaica:
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Jan Mayen:
the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply

Japan:
modeled after European civil law system with English-American
influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Jarvis Island:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Jersey:
English law and local statute

Johnston Atoll:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Jordan:
based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of
legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Juan de Nova Island:
the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Kazakhstan:
based on civil law system

Kenya:
based on English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law;
judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a
de jure one-party state repealed in 1991

Kingman Reef:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Kiribati:
NA

Korea, North:
based on German civil law system with Japanese
influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of
legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Korea, South:
combines elements of continental European civil law
systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought

Kuwait:
civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal
matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Kyrgyzstan:
based on civil law system

Laos:
based on traditional customs, French legal norms and
procedures, and Socialist practice

Latvia:
based on civil law system

Lebanon:
mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and
civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Lesotho:
based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial
review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Liberia:
dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common
law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten
tribal practices for indigenous sector

Libya:
based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law; separate
religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of
legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Liechtenstein:
local civil and penal codes; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Lithuania:
based on civil law system; no judicial review of
legislative acts

Luxembourg:
based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Macau:
based on Portuguese civil law system

Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of:
based on civil law
system; judicial review of legislative acts

Madagascar:
based on French civil law system and traditional
Malagasy law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Malawi:
based on English common law and customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Malaysia:
based on English common law; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of
the federation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Maldives:
based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law
primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Mali:
based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court (which was
formally established on 9 March 1994); has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Malta:
based on English common law and Roman civil law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Man, Isle of:
English common law and Manx statute

Marshall Islands:
based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the
legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws

Martinique:
French legal system

Mauritania:
a combination of Shari'a (Islamic law) and French civil
law

Mauritius:
based on French civil law system with elements of English
common law in certain areas

Mayotte:
French law

Mexico:
mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system;
judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Micronesia, Federated States of:
based on adapted Trust Territory
laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws

Midway Islands:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Moldova:
based on civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews
legality of legislative acts and governmental decisions of
resolution; it is unclear if Moldova accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction but accepts many UN and Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents

Monaco:
based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Mongolia:
blend of Russian, Chinese, Turkish, and Western systems of
law that combines aspects of a parliamentary system with some
aspects of a presidential system; constitution ambiguous on judicial
review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Montserrat:
English common law and statutory law

Morocco:
based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law
system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional
Chamber of Supreme Court

Mozambique:
based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law

Namibia:
based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution

Nauru:
acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law

Navassa Island:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Nepal:
based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Netherlands:
civil law system incorporating French penal theory;
constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States
General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Netherlands Antilles:
based on Dutch civil law system, with some
English common law influence

New Caledonia:
the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy
to the islands; formerly under French law

New Zealand:
based on English law, with special land legislation and
land courts for Maoris; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations

Nicaragua:
civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative
acts

Niger:
based on French civil law system and customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Nigeria:
based on English common law, Islamic Shariah law (only in
some northern states), and traditional law

Niue:
English common law

Norfolk Island:
based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and
acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either
Australian or Norfolk Island law

Northern Mariana Islands:
based on US system, except for customs,
wages, immigration laws, and taxation

Norway:
mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law
traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature
when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Oman:
based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal
to the monarch; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Pakistan:
based on English common law with provisions to accommodate
Pakistan's status as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Palau:
based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature,
municipal, common, and customary laws

Palmyra Atoll:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Panama:
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts in the Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Papua New Guinea:
based on English common law

Paraguay:
based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes;
judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice

Peru:
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Philippines:
based on Spanish and Anglo-American law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Pitcairn Islands:
local island by-laws

Poland:
mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and holdover
communist legal theory; changes being gradually introduced as part
of broader democratization process; limited judicial review of
legislative acts although under the new constitution, the
Constitutional Tribunal ruling will become final as of October 1999;
court decisions can be appealed to the European Court of Justice in
Strasbourg

Portugal:
civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the
constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Puerto Rico:
based on Spanish civil code

Qatar:
discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although
civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law is significant in
personal matters

Reunion:
French law

Romania:
former mixture of civil law system and communist legal
theory; is now based on the constitution of France's Fifth Republic

Russia:
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts

Rwanda:
based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary
law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Saint Helena:
NA

Saint Kitts and Nevis:
based on English common law

Saint Lucia:
based on English common law

Saint Pierre and Miquelon:
French law with special adaptations for
local conditions, such as housing and taxation

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:
based on English common law

Samoa:
based on English common law and local customs; judicial
review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the
citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

San Marino:
based on civil law system with Italian law influences;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Sao Tome and Principe:
based on Portuguese legal system and
customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Saudi Arabia:
based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been
introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Senegal:
based on French civil law system; judicial review of
legislative acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of State
audits the government's accounting office; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Seychelles:
based on English common law, French civil law, and
customary law

Sierra Leone:
based on English law and customary laws indigenous to
local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Singapore:
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Slovakia:
civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to comply
with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory

Slovenia:
based on civil law system

Solomon Islands:
English common law

Somalia:
NA

South Africa:
based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands:
the laws of the UK,
where applicable, apply

Spain:
civil law system, with regional applications; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Sri Lanka:
a highly complex mixture of English common law,
Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Sudan:
based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January
1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic
law in the northern states; Islamic law applies to all residents of
the northern states regardless of their religion; some separate
religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations

Suriname:
based on Dutch legal system incorporating French penal
theory

Svalbard:
NA

Swaziland:
based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory
courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Sweden:
civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Switzerland:
civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees
of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Syria:
based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious
courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Tajikistan:
based on civil law system; no judicial review of
legislative acts

Tanzania:
based on English common law; judicial review of
legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Thailand:
based on civil law system, with influences of common law;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Togo:
French-based court system

Tokelau:
British and local statutes

Tonga:
based on English law

Trinidad and Tobago:
based on English common law; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Tromelin Island:
the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Tunisia:
based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some
judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint
session

Turkey:
derived from various European continental legal systems;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Turkmenistan:
based on civil law system

Turks and Caicos Islands:
based on laws of England and Wales, with a
small number adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas

Tuvalu:
NA

Uganda:
in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one
based on English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Ukraine:
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts

United Arab Emirates:
federal court system introduced in 1971; all
emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah have joined the
federal system; all emirates have secular and Islamic law for civil,
criminal, and high courts

United Kingdom:
common law tradition with early Roman and modern
continental influences; no judicial review of Acts of Parliament;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; British
courts and legislation are increasingly subject to review by
European Union courts

United States:
based on English common law; judicial review of
legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations

Uruguay:
based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Uzbekistan:
evolution of Soviet civil law; still lacks independent
judicial system

Vanuatu:
unified system being created from former dual French and
British systems

Venezuela:
based on organic laws as of July 1999; open, adversarial
court system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Vietnam:
based on communist legal theory and French civil law system

Virgin Islands:
based on US laws

Wake Island:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Wallis and Futuna:
French legal system

World:
all members of the UN plus Switzerland are parties to the
statute that established the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or
World Court

Yemen:
based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and
local tribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Yugoslavia:
based on civil law system

Zambia:
based on English common law and customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts in an ad hoc constitutional council; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Zimbabwe:
mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law

Taiwan:
based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

======================================================================

@Legislative branch

Afghanistan:
non-functioning as of June 1993

Albania:
unicameral People's Assembly or Kuvendi Popullor (155
seats; most members are elected by direct popular vote and some by
proportional vote for four-year terms)

elections: last held 29 June 1997 (next held 24 June 2001, 2nd
round 8 July 2001)

election results: percent of vote by party - PS 53.36%, PD 25.33%,
PSD 2.5%, PBDNJ 2.78%, PBK 2.36%, PAD 2.85%, PR 2.25%, PLL 3.09%,
PDK 1.00%, PBSD 0.84%; seats by party - PS 101, PD 27, PSD 8, PBDNJ
4, PBK 3, PAD 2, PR 2, PLL 2, PDK 1, PBSD 1, PUK 1, independents 3

Algeria:
bicameral Parliament consists of the National People's
Assembly or Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani (380 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Council of
Nations (144 seats; one-third of the members appointed by the
president, two-thirds elected by indirect vote; members serve
six-year terms; the constitution requires half the council to be
renewed every three years)

elections: National People's Assembly - last held 5 June 1997 (next
to be held NA 2002); Council of Nations - last held 30 December 2000
(next to be held NA 2003)

election results: National People's Assembly - percent of vote by
party - RND 40.8%, MSP 18.2%, FLN 16.8%, Nahda Movement 8.9%, FFS
5%, RCD 5%, PT 1.1%, Progressive Republican Party 0.8%, Union for
Democracy and Liberty 0.3%, Social Liberal Party 0.3%, independents
2.8%; seats by party - RND 155, MSP 69, FLN 64, Nahda Movement 34,
FFS 19, RCD 19, PT 4, Progressive Republican Party 3, Union for
Democracy and Liberty 1, Social Liberal Party 1, independents 11;
Council of Nations - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party
- RND 79, FLN 12, FFS 4, MSP 1 (remaining 48 seats appointed by the
president, party breakdown NA)

American Samoa:
bicameral Fono or Legislative Assembly consists of
the House of Representatives (21 seats - 20 of which are elected by
popular vote and 1 is an appointed, nonvoting delegate from Swains
Island; members serve two-year terms) and the Senate (18 seats;
members are elected from local chiefs and serve four-year terms)

elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2000
(next to be held NA November 2002); Senate - last held 7 November
2000 (next to be held NA November 2004)

election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Senate - percent of vote by party
- NA%; seats by party - NA; note - only independents elected

note: American Samoa elects one delegate to the US House of
Representatives; election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held
NA November 2002); results - Eni F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA (Democrat)
reelected as delegate for a sixth term

Andorra:
unicameral General Council of the Valleys or Consell
General de las Valls (28 seats; members are elected by direct
popular vote, 14 from a single national constituency and 14 to
represent each of the 7 parishes; members serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 16 February 1997 (next to be held NA February
2001)

election results: percent of vote by party - UL 57%, AND 21%, IDN
7%, ND 7%, other 8%; seats by party - UL 16, AND 6, ND 2, IDN 2, UPO
2

Angola:
unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (220
seats; members elected by proportional vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 29-30 September 1992 (next to be held NA)

election results: percent of vote by party - MPLA 54%, UNITA 34%,
others 12%; seats by party - MPLA 129, UNITA 70, PRS 6, FNLA 5, PLD
3, others 7

Anguilla:
unicameral House of Assembly (11 seats total, 7 elected by
direct popular vote, 2 ex officio members and 2 appointed; members
serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 3 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2005)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
UF 4, AUM 2, independent 1

Antigua and Barbuda:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate
(17-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of
Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional
representation to serve five-year terms)

elections: House of Representatives - last held 9 March 1999 (next
to be held NA March 2004)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
ALP 12, UPP 4, independent 1

Argentina:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists
of the Senate (72 seats; formerly, three members appointed by each
of the provincial legislatures; presently transitioning to one-third
of the members being elected every two years to six-year terms) and
the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; one-half of the members elected
every two years to four-year terms)

elections: Senate - transition phase will begin in the 2001
elections when all seats will be fully contested; winners will
randomly draw to determine whether they will serve a two-year,
four-year, or full six-year term, beginning a rotating cycle
renovating one-third of the body every two years; Chamber of
Deputies - last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA October
2001)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA%;
seats by bloc or party - Peronist 40, UCR 20, Frepaso 1, other 11;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA%; seats
by bloc or party - Alliance 124 (UCR 85, Frepaso 36, others 3),
Peronist 101, AR 12, other 20

Armenia:
unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin
Zhoghov (131 seats; members serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 30 May 1999 (next to be held in the spring of
2003)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
unity bloc 61 (Republican Party 41, People's Party of Armenia 20),
Stability Group (independent Armenian deputies who have formed a
bloc) 21, ACP 10, ARF (Dashnak) 8, Law and Unity Party 7, NDU 6,
Law-Governed Party 6, independents 10, unfilled 2; note - seats by
party change frequently

Aruba:
unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected
by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 12 December 1997 (next to be held by NA
December 2001)

election results: percent of vote by party - AVP 43%, MEP 39%, OLA
9% PPA 4%, ADN 2%, PARA 1%, MAS 0.5%; seats by party - AVP 10, MEP
9, OLA 2

Australia:
bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76
seats - 12 from each of the six states and two from each of the two
territories; one-half of the members elected every three years by
popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of
Representatives (148 seats; members elected by popular vote on the
basis of proportional representation to serve three-year terms; no
state can have fewer than five representatives)

elections: Senate - last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held by
October 2001); House of Representatives - last held 3 October 1998
(next to be held by October 2001)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 35, Australian Labor
Party 29, Australian Democratic Party 9, Green Party 1, One Nation
Party 1, independent 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote
by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party
coalition 80, Australian Labor Party 67, independent 1

Austria:
bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of
Federal Council or Bundesrat (64 members; members represent each of
the states on the basis of population, but with each state having at
least three representatives; members serve a four- or six-year term)
and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected
by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: National Council - last held 3 October 1999 (next to be
held in the fall of 2003)

election results: National Council - percent of vote by party -
SPOe 33.2%, OeVP 26.9%, FPOe 26.9%, Greens 7.4%; seats by party -
SPOe 65, OeVP 52, FPOe 52, Greens 14

Azerbaijan:
unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 4 November 2000 (next to be held NA November
2005)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NAP and allies 108, APF 6, CSP 3, PNIA 2, Musavat Party 2, CPA 2,
APF "traditionalist" 1, Compatriot Party 1

Bahamas, The:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16-member
body appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime
minister and the opposition leader for five-year terms) and the
House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct popular vote
to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 14 March 1997 (next to be held by March 2002)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
FNM 35, PLP 5

Bahrain:
unicameral National Assembly was dissolved 26 August 1975
and legislative powers were assumed by the Cabinet; appointed
Advisory Council established 16 December 1992; the National Action
Charter created a bicameral legislature on 23 December 2000;
approved by referendum of 14 February 2001

Bangladesh:
unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad (330
seats; 300 elected by popular vote from single territorial
constituencies, 30 seats reserved for women; members serve five-year
terms)

elections: last held 12 June 1996 (next to be held before 13
October 2001)

election results: percent of vote by party - AL 33.87%, BNP 30.87%;
seats by party - AL 178, BNP 113, JP 33, JI 3, other 3; note - the
elections of 12 June 1996 brought to power an Awami League
government for the first time in twenty-one years; held under a
neutral, caretaker administration, the elections were characterized
by a peaceful, orderly process and massive voter turnout, ending a
bitter two-year impasse between the former BNP and opposition
parties that had paralyzed National Parliament and led to widespread
street violence

Barbados:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member
body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Assembly
(28 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve
five-year terms)

elections: House of Assembly - last held 20 January 1999 (next to
be held by January 2004)

election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - BLP 26, DLP 2

Belarus:
bicameral Parliament or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of
the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats) and the
Chamber of Representatives or Palata Pretsaviteley (110 seats)

elections: last held October 2000 (next to be held NA)

election results: party affiliation data unavailable; under present
political conditions party designations are meaningless

Belgium:
bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in
Dutch, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly elected by
popular vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve four-year
terms) and a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van
Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre des Representants in
French (150 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on
the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 13 June 1999
(next to be held in NA 2003)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - VLD 15.4%,
CVP 14.7%, PRL 10.6%, PS 9.7%, VB 9.4%, SP 8.9%, ECOLO 7.4%, AGALEV
7.1%, PSC 6.0%, VU 5.1%; seats by party - VLD 11, CVP 10, PS 10, PRL
9, VB 6, SP 6, ECOLO 6, AGALEV 5, PSC 5, VU 3; Chamber of Deputies -
percent of vote by party - VLD 14.3%, CVP 14.1%, PS 10.2%, PRL
10.1%, VB 9.9%, SP 9.5%, ECOLO 7.4%, AGALEV 7.0%, PSC 5.9%, VU 5.6%;
seats by party - VLD 23, CVP 22, PS 19, PRL 18, VB 15, SP 14, ECOLO
11, PSC 10, AGALEV 9, VU 8, FN 1

note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that
furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three
levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community)
with a complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six
governments each with its own legislative assembly; for other
acronyms of the listed parties see Political parties and leaders

Belize:
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (eight
members, five appointed on the advice of the prime minister, two on
the advice of the leader of the opposition, and one by the governor
general; members are appointed for five-year terms); and the House
of Representatives (29 seats; members are elected by direct popular
vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: House of Representatives - last held 27 August 1998
(next to be held by NA August 2003)

election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 59.2%, UDP 40.8%;
seats by party - PUP 26, UDP 3

Benin:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83
seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year
terms)

elections: last held 30 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2003)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
RB 27, PRD 11, FARD-ALAFIA 10, PSD 9, MADEP 6, E'toile 4, Alliance
IPD 4, Car-DUNYA 3, MERCI 2, other 7

Bermuda:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (an 11-member
body appointed by the governor) and the House of Assembly (40 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 9 November 1998 (next to be held NA November
2003)

election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 54%, UBP 44%, NLP
1%, independents 1%; seats by party - PLP 26, UBP 14

Bhutan:
unicameral National Assembly or Tshogdu (150 seats; 105
elected from village constituencies, 10 represent religious bodies,
and 35 are designated by the monarch to represent government and
other secular interests; members serve three-year terms)

elections: last held NA (next to be held NA)

election results: NA

Bolivia:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists
of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats; members are
directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and
Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; members are
directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; note -
some members are drawn from party lists, thus not directly elected)

elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held
1 June 1997 (next to be held NA June 2002)

election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - ADN 11, MIR 7, MNR 4, CONDEPA 3, UCS 2;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party
- ADN 32, MNR 26, MIR 23, UCS 21, CONDEPA 19, MBL 5, IU 4

Bosnia and Herzegovina:
bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or
Skupstina consists of the National House of Representatives or
Predstavnicki Dom (42 seats - 14 Serb, 14 Croat, and 14 Bosniak;
members elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) and the
House of Peoples or Dom Naroda (15 seats - 5 Bosniak, 5 Croat, 5
Serb; members elected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of
Representatives and the Republika Srpska's National Assembly to
serve two-year terms); note - as of 1 January 2001, Bosnia and
Herzegovina does not have a permanent election law; a draft law
specifies four-year terms for the state and first-order
administrative division entity legislatures; officials elected in
2000 were elected to two-year terms on the presumption that a
permanent law would be in place before 2002

elections: National House of Representatives - elections last held
11 November 2000 (next to be held in the fall of 2002); House of
Peoples - last constituted after the 11 November 2000 elections
(next to be constituted in the fall of 2002)

election results: National House of Representatives - percent of
vote by party/coalition - NA%; seats by party/coalition - SDP 9, SDA
8, SDS 6, HDZ-BiH 5, SBH 5, PDP 2, NHI 1, BPS 1, DPS 1, SNS 1,
SNSD-DSP 1, DNZ 1, SPRS 1; House of Peoples - percent of vote by
party/coalition - NA%; seats by party/coalition - NA

note: the Bosniak/Croat Federation has a bicameral legislature that
consists of a House of Representatives (140 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections last held 11
November 2000 (next to be held NA 2002); percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party/coalition - SDA 38, SDP 37, HDZ-BiH 25, SBH 21,
DNZ 3, NHI 2, BPS 2, DPS 2, BOSS 2, GDS 1, RP 1, HSS 1, LDS 1,
Pensioners' Party of FBiH 1, SNSD-DSP 1, HKDU 1, HSP 1; and a House
of Peoples (74 seats - 30 Bosniak, 30 Croat, and 14 others); last
constituted November 2000; the Republika Srpska has a National
Assembly (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms); elections last held 11 November 2000 (next to be
held NA 2002); percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party/coalition - SDS 31, PDP 11, SNSD 11, SDA 6, DSP 4, SDP 4, SPRS
4, SBH 4, DNS 3, SNS 2, NHI 1, DSRS 1, Pensioners' Party 1; as of 1
January 2001, Bosnia and Herzegovina does not have a permanent
election law; a draft law specifies four-year terms for the state
and first-order administrative division entity legislatures;
officials elected in 2000 were elected to two-year terms on the
presumption that a permanent law would be in place before 2002

Botswana:
bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a
largely advisory 15-member body consisting of the chiefs of the
eight principal tribes, four elected subchiefs, and three members
selected by the other 12) and the National Assembly (44 seats, 40
members are directly elected by popular vote and 4 appointed by the
majority party; members serve five-year terms)

elections: National Assembly elections last held 16 October 1999
(next to be held NA October 2004)

election results: percent of vote by party - BDP 57.2%, BNF 26%,
other 16.8%; seats by party - BDP 33, BNF 6, other 1

Brazil:
bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists
of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; three members
from each state or federal district elected according to the
principle of majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third elected
after a four year period, two-thirds elected after the next
four-year period) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos
Deputados (513 seats; members are elected by proportional
representation to serve four-year terms)

elections: Federal Senate - last held 4 October 1998 for one-third
of Senate (next to be held NA October 2002 for two-thirds of the
Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 4 October 1998 (next to be
held NA October 2002)

election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PMDB 27, PFL 20, PSDB 16, PT 7, PPB 5, PSB 3, PDT
2, PPS 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PFL 106, PSDB 99, PMDB 82, PPB 60, PT 58, PTB 31,
PDT 25, PSB 19, PL 12, PCdoB 7, other 14

British Virgin Islands:
unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats;
members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of
9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve
five-year terms)

elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
VIP 7, CCM 1, NDP 5

Brunei:
unicameral Legislative Council or Majlis Masyuarat Megeri (a
privy council that serves only in a consultative capacity; NA seats;
members appointed by the monarch)

elections: last held in March 1962

note: in 1970 the Council was changed to an appointive body by
decree of the monarch; an elected Legislative Council is being
considered as part of constitutional reform, but elections are
unlikely for several years

Bulgaria:
unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 17 June 2001 (next to be held NA June 2005)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
National Movement for Simeon II 120, UDF 51, BSP 48, DPS 21

Burkina Faso:
bicameral; consists of a National Assembly or
Assemblee des Deputes Populaires (111 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the purely consultative
Chamber of Representations or Chambre des Representants (178 seats;
members are appointed to serve three-year terms)

elections: National Assembly election last held 11 May 1997 (next
to be held NA 2002)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
CDP 101, PDP 6, RDA 2, ADF 2

Burma:
unicameral People's Assembly or Pyithu Hluttaw (485 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never convened

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NLD 392, SNLD 23, NUP 10, other 60

Burundi:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (121
seats; note - new Transitional Constitution expanded the number of
seats from 81 to 121 in 1998; members are elected by popular vote on
a proportional basis to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 29 June 1993 (next was scheduled to be held in
1998, but suspended by presidential decree in 1996)

election results: percent of vote by party - FRODEBU 71.04%, UPRONA
21.4%, other 7.56%; seats by party - FRODEBU 65, UPRONA 16, various
other parties 40

Cambodia:
bicameral consists of the National Assembly (122 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the
Senate (61 seats; two members appointed by the monarch, two elected
by the National Assembly, and 57 elected by "functional
constituencies"; members serve five-year terms

elections: National Assembly - last held 26 July 1998 (next to be
held NA 2003); Senate - last held 2 March 1999 (next to be held NA
2004)

election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party -
CPP 41%, FUNCINPEC 32%, SRP 14%, other 13%; seats by party - CPP 64,
FUNCINPEC 43, SRP 15; Senate - seats by party - CPP 31, FUNCINPEC
21, SRP 7

Cameroon:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (180
seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year
terms; note - the president can either lengthen or shorten the term
of the legislature)

elections: last held 17 May 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)