Afghanistan
On 19 December 2005, the National Assembly held its first session after being suspended for many years. The first parliamentary elections since 1988 took place on 18 September 2005 for the 249-member House of the People (Wolesi Jirga). Final results were announced on 14 November 2005, and on the same day, the newly-elected Provincial Councils met to elect representatives to the House of Elders (Meshrano Jirga). The House of Elders currently consists of 68 representatives from the Provincial Councils (34 permanent members and 34 transitional members who will serve until the District Councils are elected, and who can choose their own representatives), as well as 34 members appointed by the President on 11 December 2005.

Bhoutan
On 19 December 2005, King Jigme Jigme Singye Wangchuck announced that a century of absolute monarchy would come to an end. The country's first national parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place in 2008. The draft constitution provides for a bicameral parliament: a 75-member national assembly, and a 25-member national council. The new Constitution, presented by the King in March 2005, is still to be ratified by referendum. Following advice from his astrologers, the King postponed the constitutional referendum to 2008. Meanwhile, the office of the chief election commissioner was officially established on 16 January 2006.

The King also announced that he would be abdicating his throne, indicating that Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk would be crowned as the new king before the constitution was adopted.

Democratic Republic of Congo
A new Constitution was officially adopted on 18 February 2006 following the Supreme Court confirmation of the results of the 18 December 2005 constitutional referendum. The draft constitution, adopted by the transitional parliament in May 2005, was approved by 84.3 per cent of voters registered in the referendum. Its adoption paves the way for elections scheduled for June 2006.

Under the new Constitution, Parliament and the President are to be elected for a five-year term. The statutory number of members of the new bicameral Parliament is the same as for the current transitional parliament (500 members for the National Assembly and 120 members for the Senate). Members of the National Assembly will be directly elected by universal suffrage, while senators will be indirectly elected by provincial assemblies. The President, who can serve a maximum of two five-year terms, appoints the prime minister from the largest party in parliament. On 21 February 2006, the transitional parliament passed a bill giving the Independent Electoral Commission 110 days to organize elections from the moment President Joseph Kabila signs the document, which then becomes law. On 10 March 2006, President Kabila promulgated the new electoral law, setting 18 June 2006 as the date of the first election in the country's 46-year history as an independent nation.

Iraq
Following the approval of a new Constitution by referendum in October 2005, elections for a parliament composed of 275 members were held on 15 December 2005. Despite continuing violence, turnout was high, with 79.63% of registered voters taking part in the elections. This marked a sharp increase from the 58.32 per cent turnout in the January 2005 elections. Final results gave the mainly Shiite Unified Iraqi Coalition a total of 128 seats. The two main Sunni parties (Tawafoq Iraqi Front and Hewar National Iraqi Front) won a total of 55 seats, followed by the Kurdistan Gathering with 53 seats. After numerous postponements since mid-February 2006, the new Parliament held its first session on 16 March 2006. However, the session was adjourned indefinitely after 30 minutes since it had not yet elected a new Speaker. The Parliament will elect the country's new President. The formation of a new government will officially end the political transition in Iraq.

Italy
On 21 December 2005, President Ciampi countersigned the new electoral law that would be applied to the elections scheduled for 9 and 10 April 2006. The electoral law re-introduces the full proportional representation system for 617 of 630 seats in 26 constituencies, while the first-past-post system is used in the singlemember constituency in Valle d'Aosta, an autonomous region. Based on Law No. 459/2001 and its enabling regulation (Presidential Decree No. 104 of 2003), a further 12 Deputies (as well as six senators) are elected from the Constituency for Italians Abroad (Circonscrizione Estero), divided into four geographical groups: a) Europe; b) South America; c) Northern and Central America; and d) Africa, Asia, Oceania and Antarctica.

The new electoral law introduces various minimum thresholds for the formation of a political coalition (10% for the Chamber, 20% for the Senate) or for a political party (4% for the Chamber, 3% for the Senate) to be entitled to win seats. In cases where a political coalition or a political party with the largest number of votes fails to win 340 seats, a winning coalition or party will be given "bonus" seats to reach the required 340 seats. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who had proposed the reforms, insisted the new system would offer more accurate representation in parliament, while opponents of the reform argued that it would bring political instability with the development of several small parties.

The old proportional representation system had been replaced in 1993 by a mixed voting system whereby 75 per cent of seats in each chamber were filled from constituencies and 25 per cent by a proportional representation system.

liberia
Following parliamentary elections on 11 October 2005 in parallel with presidential elections, the new Parliament held its first session on 13 January 2006. As provided for in the 2003 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the new Parliament is composed of a 64-member House of Representatives, elected for six years, and a 30-member Senate, with members serving six or nine-year terms. Three days later, Ms. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was sworn in as President, becoming the country's first elected female Head of State. A 14-year civil war ended in 2003.

Somalia
On 26 February 2006, the Somali Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP) met for the first time on Somali soil in the town of Baidoa. The session was attended by 205 of the 275 members of the TFP. The unicameral TFP had met in Nairobi until June 2005.

Disagreements between the government and parliament on the location of the new parliament and the deployment of foreign troops continued to hamper the transitional process. Under pressure from international donors, President Abdullahi Yusuf and Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden met in Yemen on 5 January 2006, and agreed to convene the Parliament in Somalia within 30 days. Baidoa, which is 240 km outhwest of the capital Mogadishu, was later chosen as its venue.

Swaziland
On 8 February 2006, a new Constitution came into effect in Swaziland (see Issue N°19, November 2005). The new Constitution includes a bill of rights on freedom of assembly. However, uncertainty remains over the status of the 1973 decree banning organized political groups. While some eminent national scholars have argued that the new law supersedes old laws, others have pointed out that the Constitution was deliberately ambiguous on the issue.

Ukraine
On 1 January 2006, constitutional amendments aimed at significantly increasing parliament's powers came into force. Under the amended Constitution, parliament's term has been extended from four to five years, and the parliamentary majority will nominate a prime minister as head of the executive branch. The prime minister will then nominate members of the cabinet, who will have to be approved by parliament. Previously, only the president was empowered to appoint ministers.

The law on the election of people's deputies of Ukraine, passed in March 2004, came into force on 1 October 2005. It provided that all 450 members of Parliament would be elected according to the proportional representation system. Under the previous mixed system, 225 members were elected from single-member constituencies and the remaining 225 seats were filled using a proportional system.