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Election Calendar in Asia (14 June 2013)

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Election Calendar in Asia 2013 – 2016 Please click flag of the respective country to see more information on the country Country Country Profile Type of Date of Election the Election Afghanistan Total population: 29,121,286 (July 2010 est: ) Presidential 5th April, (Islamic EleCtion 2014 Total number of registered voters –9,200,000 (2010) – Registration open for 2013 eleCtion Republic of Parliamentary Est. 2015 Afghanistan) Head of the State: President (Mr. Hamid Karzai) from direCt eleCtions. Government Type: biCameral National Assembly (Jirga) Consisting with House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga) and House of People(Wolesi Jirga) Total number of seats in House of People (Wolesi Jirga) : 249 Total number of seats alloCated for women in House of People: 68 seats Total number of seats in House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga): 102 seats Total number of Constituencies : 34 constituencies Electoral System • President: EleCted direCtly in a two-round absolute majority vote system for a term of 5 years. • Parliament: o House of People: DireCtly eleCted in a single non-transferable vote system for a term of 5 years. o House of Elders: § Indirectly Elected (68 seats): EleCted by the regional legislatures. 34 are elected for a term of 4 years by the ProvinCial CounCils, and 34 are elected for a term of 3 years by the DistriCt CounCils. § Appointed (34 seats): Appointed by the President for a term of 5 years. PolitiCal Party System: Multi-party system. EleCtion Management Body: The Independent EleCtion Commission of Afghanistan is a 7- member Commission. Members are appointed by the President for a term of 5 years. Quota for women: two women should be eleCted from eaCh provinCe: 34 provinCes: Sixty- eight seats in the lower house (Wolesi Jirga) are reserved for women under ArtiCle 83 of the Constitution Supreme law of the Country: Constitution of Afghanistan 2004 http://www.afghanembassy.Com.pl/Cms/uploads/images/Constitution/The%20Constitution.pdf Bangladesh Total Population : 156, 118, 464 (July 2010 est) General On or (People’s Total number of registered voters: 81,130,973 ( 2008) EleCtion before 24th Republic of Head of the State: President (vaCant sinCe 14th MarCh, 2013) Bangladesh) January, Head of Government: Prime Minister (Mrs. Sheik Hasina Wajed) 2014 Government Type: uniCameral National Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad) Total number of seats in the National Parliament: 300 seats Electoral System • President: EleCted by Parliament for a term of 5 years. • Prime Minister: The Prime Minister is appointed by the President as the Member of Parliament that Commands the support of the majority of Parliament. • Parliament: o Directly elected (300 seats): EleCted in a single-member distriCt plurality system for a term of 5 years. o Proportional representation (45 seats): 45 seats are reserved for women, and awarded in proportion to the votes won by each party. • Electoral Constituencies: o Directly elected (300 seats): 300 single-member ConstituenCies. o Proportional representation (45 seats): One at-large constituency. • Parliamentary Candidates: Candidates may not hold Certain public positions, and must not have an allegiance to a foreign state. o Proportional representation (45 seats): Candidates must be women, and must be seleCted by a politiCal party for inclusion on their party list. PolitiCal Party System: Multi-party system. Election Management Body: The number of Commissioners on the Bangladesh EleCtion Commission is Chosen by the President.1 Commissioners are appointed by the President for a term of 5 years. 1 There are currently 3 members of the Election Commission. Quota for women: at present 50 seats alloCated for women under the 15th Constitutional Amendment in June 2011 Supreme law of the Country: Constitution of Bangladesh, 16th DeCember, 1972 http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/researCh/bangladesh-constitution.pdf Bhutan Total Population: 716,896 (July, 2012) Parliamentary Second (Kingdom of Total number of registered Voters – 381,790 (May 2013) Rd: July 13, 2013 Bhutan) Head of the State: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel WANGCHUCK Head of the Government: Prime Minister Mr.Jigme THINLEY Government Type: biCameral Parliament (Chi Tshag) Consisting of the National Council (Gyelyong Tshogde) and National Assembly (Gyelyong Tshogdu) Total number of seats in the National CounCil (Gyelyong Tshogde): 25 Total number of seats in the National Assembly (Gyelyong Tshogdu) : 47 Electoral System • King: Hereditary. The National Assembly may remove the King with a two-thirds majority vote. • Prime Minister: The Prime Minister is appointed by the King as the leader of the party with a majority of seats in the National Assembly. Appointed for a term of 5 years, and limited to 2 terms. • Parliament: o National Assembly: A primary eleCtion round is held, in which the two political parties with the most votes are seleCted to partiCipate in the general eleCtion. In the general election, members are elected in a single-member distriCt plurality system for a term of 5 years. o National Council: § Directly elected (20 seats): EleCted in a single-member distriCt plurality system for a term of 4 years. § Appointed (5 seats): Nominated by the King for a term of 4 years. • Electoral Constituencies: o National Assembly: Single-member ConstituenCies with 2-7 seats per distriCt, alloCated on the basis of population. o National Council: § Directly elected (20 seats): Single-member constituencies corresponding to each of the 20 districts. § Appointed (5 seats): No constituenCies. • Parliamentary Candidates: o National Assembly: Candidates must be nominated by one of the two political parties who have won the primary eleCtion round for the right to partiCipate in the general eleCtion. Candidates are not eligible if they are Civil servants, members of the armed forCes or poliCe, religious leaders, publiC offiCe holders or if they have a spouse that does not have Bhutanese Citizenship. Candidates must be at least 25 years old, and no more than 65. They must have a university degree. o National Council: Candidates must be nominated by “Zomdus” (BloCk CounCil Meetings). Candidates are not eligible if they are Civil servants, members of the armed forCes or poliCe, religious leaders, publiC offiCe holders or if they have a spouse that does not have Bhutanese citizenship. Candidates must not be a member of a politiCal party. Appointed Candidates must be seleCted by the King. PolitiCal Party System: Multi-party system, with a primary eleCtion round that limits the number of politiCal parties in the National Assembly to 2. EleCtion Management Body: The EleCtion Commission is a 3-member Commission appointed by the King from a list of names reCommended jointly by the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Chairperson of the National CounCil and the Leader of the Opposition Party. Quota for women: no provision for women in law or regulation Supreme law of the Country: Constitution of Bhutan, 18th July, 2008 https://www.unodc.org/tldb/pdf/Bhutan_Const_2008.pdf Brunei Total Population: 67,089,500 (July 2010 ) Parliamentary No data Darussalam available Total registered voters: No data available Head of the State and the Prime Minister: Mr. Sir Hassanal Bolkaih serving as the Sultan and the Prime Minister for the Country sinCe 1967 Government Type: Constitutional Sultanate Electoral System • Sultan: Hereditary. • Prime Minister: Hereditary. • Parliament: Although the Constitution allows for a 45-seat Legislative Council with up to 15 eleCted members, eleCtions have not been held sinCe 1962. Members of the current Legislative Council were appointed by the Sultan. According to the constitution, the Sultan has the power to remove elected members of the council. Election laws have not yet been enaCted. • Electoral Constituencies: None have been identified. PolitiCal Party System: One politiCal party with no eleCted representatives, limited power and activity. Election Management Body: None. Supreme law of the Country: Constitution of Brunei. 29th September, 1959 (some provisions were suspended in 1962 and 1984 under EmergenCy ) http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Brunei1984.PDF Cambodia Total Population : 14,241, 640 (July 2008) Parliamentary July 28, (Kingdom of Total number of registered voters – 8,125,529 (2008) 2013 Cambodia) Chief of State: King Norodom Sihamoni Head of Government: Prime Minister Mr. Hun Sen Government Type: biCameral Parliament Consisting of the Senate and National Assembly (Radhsphea Ney Preah Recheanachakr Kampuchea) Total number of seats in the Parliament: 184 Total number of seats in the Senate: 61 seats Total number of seats in the National Assembly: 123 seats Electoral System • King: The King is indireCtly eleCted by the CounCil of the Royal Throne from a pool of candidates that are directly descended from one of three former Kings identified in the constitution. The Council of the Royal Throne is a committee made up of senior political figures. • Prime Minister: The King appoints the Prime Minister from among the representatives of the winning party, and on reCommendation of the President of the National Assembly. The Prime Minister is Confirmed by a vote of Confidence in the National Assembly. • Parliament: o National Assembly: EleCted in Closed party list system for a term of 5 years. The term of the National Assembly may be extended upon request of the King, and a 2/3 majority vote in the National Assembly. o Senate: Members eleCted or appointed for a term of 6 years. Term may be extended upon request of the King, and a 2/3 majority vote in the Senate. • Electoral Constituencies: o National Assembly: Seats are divided among 24 ConstituenCies made up of 20 provinces and 4 muniCipalities. o Senate: 57 indireCtly eleCted seats are divided among 8 regions. • Parliamentary Candidates: o National Assembly: Candidates must be born in Cambodia, and be nominated by a politiCal party. PubliC function holders, like Civil servants, poliCe, army personnel, and religious leaders are ineligible. o Senate: Candidates must be born in Cambodia, and be at least 40 years of age. PubliC funCtion holders, like Civil servants, poliCe, army personnel, and religious leaders are ineligible.
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