Type Unicameral Last election 20 March 2016 | Seats 149 | |
 | ||
President Pany Yathotou, Lao People's Revolutionary Party Political groups Lao People's Revolutionary Party (144)
Independents (5) | ||
The National Assembly (Laotian: Sapha Heng Xat) is the unicameral parliament of Laos. The National Assembly meets in Vientiane.
Contents
Laos is a one-party state, with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party as the sole legal party in the country. Most of the National Assembly's actions simply rubber stamp the party's decisions. Efforts have been made to increase the capacity of its members, aiming to strengthen their legislative, oversight, and representational capacities.
History
The National Assembly was established in its current form by the Lao Constitution of 1991, replacing the Supreme People's Assembly (the latter also formerly known as the Supreme People's Council). After the December 1997 elections, the number of seats were increased to 99, a new structure was announced and Samane Vignaket was elected as its president.
The last elections were held on March 20th, 2016. The Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) took 144 seats in the enlarged 149-member National Assembly while the five remaining seats went to independents. Nearly 73% of members were elected to the National Assembly for the first time. During the election campaign, many candidates focused on development, promising to serve the interests of the nation and the people.
Committees
Parliamentary committees of the National Assembly currently include: