At stake in this election:

• 132 seats in the National Assembly (Sapha Heng Xat)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President CHOUMMALI Saignason
• Head of Government: Prime Minister THONGSING Thammavong **
• Assembly: Laos has a unicameral National Assembly (Sapha Heng Xat) with 132 seats.

** The Prime Minister is nominated by the president and elected by the National Assembly.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by the National Assembly to serve a 5-year term.
• The Prime Minister is nominated by the president.
• In the National Assembly (Sapha Heng Xat) 132 members are elected by plurality vote in multi-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms.***

*** The total number of seats increased from 115 to 132 for the 2006 election.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) / Pug Pasason Patiwat Lao
  • Leader: Choummaly SAYASONE
  • Seats won in last election: 113
• Independent(s): Independents
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in last election: 2

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 6,366,909 (2011)
• Registered voters: 3,240,000 (2011)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 3,205,454 (2011)

·         Is Laos a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Laos ratified CEDAW: Yes (14 August 1981)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 33 (following the 2011 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 141 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Medium (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Laos a signatory to CRPD: Yes (15 January 2008)

·         Has Laos ratified CRPD: Yes (25 September 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 955,036 (est.)