Chapter XCIV: Section 3: , Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: 886 (2) 2162-2000, FAX (29)

Finland
Finnish 92% (official), Swedish 5.6% (official), other 2.4%
(small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2003)

France
French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and
languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque,
Flemish)

French Guiana
French

French Polynesia
French 61.1% (official), Polynesian 31.4%
(official), Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, unspecified 6% (2002
census)

Gabon
French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira,
Bandjabi

Gambia, The
English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other
indigenous vernaculars

Gaza Strip
Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many
Palestinians), English (widely understood)

Georgia
Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%,
other 7%
note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia

Germany
German

Ghana
English (official), African languages (including Akan,
Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)

Gibraltar
English (used in schools and for official purposes),
Spanish, Italian, Portuguese

Greece
Greek 99% (official), English, French

Greenland
Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English

Grenada
English (official), French patois

Guadeloupe
French (official) 99%, Creole patois

Guam
English 38.3%, Chamorro 22.2%, Philippine languages 22.2%,
other Pacific island languages 6.8%, Asian languages 7%, other
languages 3.5% (2000 census)

Guatemala
Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially
recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel,
Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca)

Guernsey
English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country
districts

Guinea
French (official), each ethnic group has its own language

Guinea-Bissau
Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages

Guyana
English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu

Haiti
French (official), Creole (official)

Holy See (Vatican City)
Italian, Latin, French, various other
languages

Honduras
Spanish, Amerindian dialects

Hong Kong
Chinese (Cantonese), English; both are official

Hungary
Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)

Iceland
Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken

India
English enjoys associate status but is the most important
language for national, political, and commercial communication;
Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the
people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu,
Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi,
Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular
variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is
not an official language

Indonesia
Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay),
English, Dutch, local dialects, the most widely spoken of which is
Javanese

Iran
Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects
26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%

Iraq
Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian,
Armenian

Ireland
English (official) is the language generally used, Irish
(official) (Gaelic or Gaeilge) spoken mainly in areas located along
the western seaboard

Israel
Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority,
English most commonly used foreign language

Italy
Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige
region are predominantly German speaking), French (small
French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene
(Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)

Jamaica
English, patois English

Japan
Japanese

Jersey
English 94.5% (official), Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (2001
census)

Jordan
Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and
middle classes

Kazakhstan
Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official,
used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic
communication") 95% (2001 est.)

Kenya
English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous
languages

Kiribati
I-Kiribati, English (official)

Korea, North
Korean

Korea, South
Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high
school

Kuwait
Arabic (official), English widely spoken

Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz (official), Russian (official)

Laos
Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages

Latvia
Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other
4.3% (2000 census)

Lebanon
Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Lesotho
Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa

Liberia
English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of
which a few can be written and are used in correspondence

Libya
Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the
major cities

Liechtenstein
German (official), Alemannic dialect

Lithuania
Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other
and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census)

Luxembourg
Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative
language), French (administrative language)

Macau
Cantonese 87.9%, Hokkien 4.4%, Mandarin 1.6%, other Chinese
dialects 3.1%, other 3% (2001 census)

Macedonia
Macedonian 66.5%, Albanian 25.1%, Turkish 3.5%, Roma 1.9%,
Serbian 1.2%, other 1.8% (2002 census)

Madagascar
French (official), Malagasy (official)

Malawi
Chichewa 57.2% (official), Chinyanja 12.8%, Chiyao 10.1%,
Chitumbuka 9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga 1.7%, other
3.6% (1998 census)

Malaysia
Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects
(Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil,
Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai
note: in addition, in East Malaysia several indigenous languages are
spoken, the largest are Iban and Kadazan

Maldives
Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from
Arabic), English spoken by most government officials

Mali
French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages

Malta
Maltese (official), English (official)

Man, Isle of
English, Manx Gaelic

Marshall Islands
Marshallese 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999
census)
note: English widely spoken as a second language; both Marshallese
and English are official languages

Martinique
French, Creole patois

Mauritania
Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya,
Wolof

Mauritius
Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4% (official),
other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)

Mayotte
Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language)
spoken by 35% of the population

Mexico
Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional
indigenous languages

Micronesia, Federated States of
English (official and common
language), Trukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Kosrean, Ulithian, Woleaian,
Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi

Moldova
Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian
language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)

Monaco
French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque

Mongolia
Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian (1999)

Montserrat
English

Morocco
Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the
language of business, government, and diplomacy

Mozambique
Emakhuwa 26.1%, Xichangana 11.3%, Portuguese 8.8%
(official; spoken by 27% of population as a second language), Elomwe
7.6%, Cisena 6.8%, Echuwabo 5.8%, other Mozambican languages 32%,
other foreign languages 0.3%, unspecified 1.3% (1997 census)

Namibia
English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of
the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%,
indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama

Nauru
Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language),
English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and
commercial purposes

Nepal
Nepali 47.8%, Maithali 12.1%, Bhojpuri 7.4%, Tharu
(Dagaura/Rana) 5.8%, Tamang 5.1%, Newar 3.6%, Magar 3.3%, Awadhi
2.4%, other 10%, unspecified 2.5% (2001 census)
note: many in government and business also speak English

Netherlands
Dutch (official), Frisian (official)

Netherlands Antilles
Papiamento 65.4% (a
Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect), English 15.9% (widely
spoken), Dutch 7.3% (official), Spanish 6.1%, Creole 1.6%, other
1.9%, unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)

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

New Zealand
English (official), Maori (official)

Nicaragua
Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995
census)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast

Niger
French (official), Hausa, Djerma

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

Niue
Niuean, a Polynesian language closely related to Tongan and
Samoan; English

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

Northern Mariana Islands
Philippine languages 24.4%, Chinese 23.4%,
Chamorro 22.4%, English 10.8%, other Pacific island languages 9.5%,
other 9.6% (2000 census)

Norway
Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official),
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
Palauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral
(Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are
official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official),
Filipino 13.5%, English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%,
Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census)

Panama
Spanish (official), English 14%; note - many Panamanians
bilingual

Papua New Guinea
Melanesian Pidgin serves as the lingua franca,
English spoken by 1%-2%, Motu spoken in Papua region
note: 715 indigenous languages - many unrelated

Paraguay
Spanish (official), Guarani (official)

Peru
Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large
number of minor Amazonian languages

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

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

Poland
Polish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census)

Portugal
Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally
used)

Puerto Rico
Spanish, English

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

Reunion
French (official), Creole widely used

Romania
Romanian (official), Hungarian, German

Russia
Russian, many minority languages

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 (official)

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

Serbia and Montenegro
Serbian 95%, Albanian 5%

Seychelles
Creole 91.8%, English 4.9% (official), other 3.1%,
unspecified 0.2% (2002 census)

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
Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%,
Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects
1.8%, other 0.9% (2000 census)

Slovakia
Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%,
Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)

Slovenia
Slovenian 91.1%, Serbo-Croatian 4.5%, other or unspecified
4.4% (2002 census)

Solomon Islands
Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua
franca; English is official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the
population
note: 120 indigenous languages

Somalia
Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English

South Africa
IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi
9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%,
other 7.2% (2001 census)

Spain
Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%;
note - Castilian is the official language nationwide; the other
languages are official regionally

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
Norwegian, Russian

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

Sweden
Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Switzerland
German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%,
Italian (official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%,
Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%, English 1%, Romansch 0.5%, other 2.8%
(2000 census)
note: German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all national
languages, but only the first three are official languages

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

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

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

Tanzania
Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (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, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)

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 (official) 67%, Russian 24%; small Romanian-,
Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities

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 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European
3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census)

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
local languages (more than 100) 72.6%, pidgin (known as
Bislama or Bichelama) 23.1%, English 1.9%, French 1.4%, other 0.3%,
unspecified 0.7% (1999 Census)

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 74.7%, Spanish or Spanish Creole 16.8%,
French or French Creole 6.6%, other 1.9% (2000 census)

Wallis and Futuna
Wallisian 58.9% (indigenous Polynesian language),
Futunian 30.1%, French 10.8%, other 0.2% (2003 census)

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

Western Sahara
Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

World
Chinese, Mandarin 13.69%, Spanish 5.05%, English 4.84%, Hindi
2.82%, Portuguese 2.77%, Bengali 2.68%, Russian 2.27%, Japanese
1.99%, German, Standard 1.49%, Chinese, Wu 1.21% (2004 est.)
note: percents are for "first language" speakers only

Yemen
Arabic

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

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@2100 Legal system

Afghanistan
according to the new constitution, no law should be
"contrary to Islam"; the state is obliged to create a prosperous and
progressive society based on social justice, protection of human
dignity, protection of human rights, realization of democracy, and
to ensure national unity and equality among all ethnic groups and
tribes; the state shall abide by the UN charter, international
treaties, international conventions that Afghanistan signed, and the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Akrotiri
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply

Albania
has a civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction; has accepted jurisdiction of the International
Criminal Court for its citizens

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 (with respect to their own
nationals and operations) 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, Room 5805,
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 visit their website at www.nsf.gov; more
generally, access to the Antarctic Treaty area, that is to all areas
between 60 and 90 degrees latitude South, is subject to a number of
relevant legal instruments and authorization procedures adopted by
the states party to the Antarctic Treaty.

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 Commonwealth of
Australia and 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; accepts 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
note: Chile is in the process of completely overhauling its criminal
justice system; a new, US-style adversarial system is being
gradually implemented throughout the country with the final stage of
implementation in the Santiago metropolitan region expected in June
2005

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 into law in 2004; judicial review of
executive and legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations

Comoros
French and Sharia (Islamic) 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

Dhekelia
the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply

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; undergoing
modification in 2004 towards an accusatory system

East Timor
UN-drafted legal system based on Indonesian law remains
in place but will be replaced by civil and penal codes based on
Portuguese law (2004)

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
primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, with
revisions; new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been
promulgated; also relies on customary and post-independence-enacted
laws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Sharia law

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; the president may
request the Supreme Court to review 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 statutes; 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)
based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to
it

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; separate personal law codes apply to Muslims,
Christians, and Hindus

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

Iran
the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government

Iraq
based on civil and Islamic law under the Iraqi Interim
Government (IG) and Transitional Administrative Law (TAL)

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; justice is administered by the
Royal Court

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 Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and 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; legislative acts can be
appealed to the constitutional court

Luxembourg
based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

Macau
based on Portuguese civil law system

Macedonia
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 Soviet, German, and US systems that combine
"continental" or "civil" code and case-precedent; 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 the Maori; 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 (in 12
northern states), and traditional law

Niue
English common law
note: Niue is self-governing, with the power to make its own laws

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, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are
final; 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 and within the US Federal
system of justice

Qatar
discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although
civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law dominates family and
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

Serbia and Montenegro
based on civil law system

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, which is widely disregarded

Somalia
no national system; Shari'a and secular courts are in some
localities

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; the senior magistrate from the Falkland
Islands presides over the Magistrates Court

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

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

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
New Zealand 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
civil law system derived from various European continental
legal systems; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations; note - member of the European Court of Human Rights
(ECHR), although Turkey claims limited derogations on the ratified
European Convention on Human Rights

Turkmenistan
based on civil law system

Turks and Caicos Islands
based on laws of England and Wales, with a
few 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;
applies to all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah,
which are not fully integrated into the federal system; all emirates
have secular courts to adjudicate criminal, civil, and commercial
matters and Islamic courts to review family and religious disputes

United Kingdom
common law tradition with early Roman and modern
continental influences; has judicial review of Acts of Parliament
under the Human Rights Act of 1998; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

United States
federal court system based on English common law; each
state has its own unique legal system, of which all but one
(Louisiana's) is 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
open, adversarial court system

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 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

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

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@2101 Legislative branch

Afghanistan
nonfunctioning as of January 2004; government is
empowered by the constitution to issue legislation by decree until
the new assembly is seated; under the new constitution, the
bicameral National Assembly will consist of the Wolesi Jirga or
House of People (no more than 249 seats), directly elected for a
five-year term, and the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102
seats, one third elected from provincial councils for a four-year
term, one third elected from local district councils for a
three-year term, and one third presidential appointees for a
five-year term; the presidential appointees will include two
representatives of Kuchis and two representatives of the disabled;
half of the presidential appointees will be women)
note: on rare occasions the government may convene the Loya Jirga on
issues of independence, national sovereignty, and territorial
integrity; it can amend the provisions of the constitution and
prosecute the president; it is made up of members of the National
Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and district councils
elections: scheduled for spring 2005

Albania
unicameral People's Assembly or Kuvendi Popullor (140 seats;
100 are elected by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote
for four-year terms)
elections: last held 4 July 2005 (next to be held July 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
PD 55, PS 40, PR 11, PSD 7, LSI 5, other 22

Algeria
bicameral Parliament consists of the National People's
Assembly or Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani (389 seats - changed from
380 seats in the 2002 elections; members elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms) and the Council of Nations (Senate) (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 30 May 2002 (next
to be held NA 2007); Council of Nations (Senate) - last held 30
December 2003 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results: National People's Assembly - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - FLN 199, RND 48, Islah 43, MSP 38, PT
21, FNA 8, EnNahda 1, PRA 1, MEN 1, independents 29; Council of
Nations - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party 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 2 November 2004
(next to be held November 2006); Senate - last held 2 November 2004
(next to be held November 2008)
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 - independents 18
note: American Samoa elects one nonvoting representative to the US
House of Representatives; election last held 2 November 2004 (next
to be held November 2006); results - Eni F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA
(Democrat) reelected as delegate

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 24 April 2005 (next to be held March-April 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - PLA 41.2%, PS 38.1%,
CDA 11%, other 9.7%; seats by party - PLA 14, PS 12, CDA 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 September
2006)
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 21 February 2005 (next to be held 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - AUF 38.9%, ANSA 19.2%,
AUM 19.4%, APP 9.5 %, independents 13%; seats by party - AUF 4, ANSA
2, AUM 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 23 March 2004 (next
to be held NA 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
ALP 4, UPP 13

Argentina
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists
of the Senate (72 seats; members are elected by direct vote;
presently one-third of the members elected every two years to a
six-year term) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; members are
elected by direct vote; one-half of the members elected every two
years to a four-year term)
elections: Senate - last held intermittently by province during the
2nd half of 2003 (next to be held NA 2005); Chamber of Deputies -
last held intermittently by province during the 2nd half of 2003
(next to be held NA 2005)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA%;
seats by bloc or party - PJ 41, UCR 16, provincial parties 15;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA%; seats
by bloc or party - PJ 133, UCR 46, IF 23, ARI 11, Socialist 6,
other/provincial parties 38

Armenia
unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov
(131 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year
terms; 75 members elected by party list, 56 by direct vote)
elections: last held 25 May 2003 (next to be held in the spring of
2007)
note: percent of vote by party - Republican Party 23.5%, Justice
Bloc 13.6%, Rule of Law 12.3%, ARF (Dashnak) 11.4%, National Unity
Party 8.8%, United Labor Party 5.7%; seats by party - Republican
Party 23, Justice Bloc 14, Rule of Law 12, ARF (Dashnak) 11,
National Unity 9, United Labor 6; note - seats by party change
frequently as deputies switch parties or announce themselves
independent

Aruba
unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by
direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 23 September 2005 (next to be held by NA 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 43%, AVP 32%, MPA
7%, RED 7%, PDR 6%, OLA 4%, PPA 2%; seats by party - MEP 11, AVP 8,
MPA 1, RED 1

Australia
bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76
seats - 12 from each of the six states and two from each of the two
mainland territories; one-half of state members are elected every
three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms while all
territory members are elected every three years) and the House of
Representatives (150 seats; members elected by popular preferential
voting to serve terms of up to three-years; no state can have fewer
than five representatives)
elections: Senate - last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held no
later than June 2008); House of Representatives - last held 9
October 2004 (next to be called no later than November 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party (for session beginning on 1 July 2005) - Liberal
Party-National Party coalition 39, Australian Labor Party 28,
Democrats 4, Australian Greens 4, Family First Party 1; House of
Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Liberal Party-National Party coalition 87, Australian Labor Party
60, independents 3

Austria
bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of
Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 members; members represent each of
the states on the basis of population, but with each state having at
least three representatives; members serve a five- 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 24 November 2002 (next to be
held in the fall of 2006)
election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - OeVP
42.3%, SPOe 36.5%, FPOe 10.0%, Greens 9.5%; seats by party - OeVP
79, SPOe 69, FPOe 18, Greens 17; seating as of May 2005 after split
within the Freedom Party: OeVP 79, SPOe 69, Greens 17, BZOe 11, FPOe
7

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)
note: 100 members of the current parliament were elected on the
basis of single mandate constituencies, while 25 were elected based
on proportional balloting; as a result of a 24 August 2002 national
referendum on changes to the constitution, all 125 members of the
next parliament will be elected from single mandate constituencies
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NAP and allies 108, APF "Reform" 6, CSP 3, PNIA 2, Musavat Party 2,
CPA 2, APF "Classic" 1, Compatriot Party 1
note: PNIA, Musavat, and APF "Classic" parties refused to take their
seats

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); the government may dissolve the
parliament and call elections at any time
elections: last held 1 May 2002 (next to be held by May 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 50.8%, FNM 41.1%,
independents 5.2%; seats by party - PLP 29, FNM 7, independents 4

Bahrain
bicameral Parliament consists of Shura Council (40 members
appointed by the King) and House of Deputies (40 members directly
elected to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Deputies - last held 31 October 2002 (next
election to be held NA 2006)
election results: House of Deputies - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - independents 21, Sunni Islamists 9, other 10
note: first elections since 7 December 1973; unicameral National
Assembly dissolved 26 August 1975; National Action Charter created
bicameral legislature on 23 December 2000; approved by referendum 14
February 2001; first legislative session of Parliament held on 25
December 2002

Bangladesh
unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300
seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies
(the constitutional amendment reserving 30 seats for women over and
above the 300 regular parliament seats expired in May 2001); members
serve five-year terms
elections: last held 1 October 2001 (next to be held before October
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance
partners 47%, AL 40%; seats by party - BNP 195, AL 58, JI 17, JP
(Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 3, JP (Naziur) 4, other 9; note - the
election of October 2001 brought a majority BNP government aligned
with three other smaller parties - Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Oikya
Jote, and Jatiya Party (Manzur)

Barbados
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body
appointed by the governor general) and the House of Assembly (30
seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 21 May 2003 (next to be
held by May 2008)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - BLP 23, DLP 7

Belarus
bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobranie
consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64
seats; 56 members elected by regional councils and 8 members
appointed by the president, all for 4-year terms) and the Chamber of
Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members elected
by universal adult suffrage to serve 4-year terms)
elections: last held 18 March and 1 April 2001 and 17 and 31 October
2004; international observers widely denounced the October 2004
elections as flawed and undemocratic, based on massive government
falsification; pro-Lukashenko candidates won every seat, after many
opposition candidates were disqualified for technical reasons
election results: Soviet Respubliki - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - NA; Palata Predstaviteley - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - NA