Bangladesh
On 17 May 2004, Parliament passed by 220 votes to one a bill of constitutional amendments that included the reservation of 45 seats in the 300-member legislature for women. Most of the opposition parties boycotted the vote because the women are to be awarded the seats according to proportional representation, rather than being directly elected.

Belgium
On 11 June 2004 a second paragraph was added to article 67, chapter 1, of the Constitution, which deals with the composition of the Senate. Previously, when regional elections took place during sessions of the federal parliament, senators representing the linguistic communities who were not re-elected as members of their community councils lost their Senate seats on the day of the council elections. As a consequence, the Senate was incomplete until such senators were replaced by the renewed councils. To remedy this situation, the new constitutional provision extends the mandates of those Senators who represent the communities and who are not re-elected until the renewed councils hold their first meetings.

In relation to election law, the Communal Elections Act of 4 August 1932 was modified by an act adopted on 19 March 2004 to permit foreigners to vote in communal elections. In addition, an act of 25 April 2004 introduced technical changes in the Act of 23 March 1989 on European Parliament elections. The Special Act of 25 April 2004 modifying articles 6.1.VIII.4.1 and 31.5.1 of the Special Act of 8 August 1980 on Institutional Reform, and modifying paragraphs 1 and 2 of article 22.5 of the Special Act of 12 January 1989 on Institutions in Brussels, sets out the oversight functions of the councils in respect of election spending and public awareness and communications campaigns. Another act of 25 April 2004 modified several election laws by lowering the age of eligibility for election to the regional and community councils.

Two more acts were adopted on 25 April 2004; one modified the Act of 19 May 1994 limiting and supervising election spending for European Parliament elections, the act of 23 March 1989 on European Parliament elections and the Electoral Code, and the other modified the Act of 19 May 1994 on the limitation and control of election expenditure for elections to the Council of the French Community, the Flemish Council, the Council of the Brussels-Capital Region and the Council of the German Community.

Germany
On 25 March 2004, the Bundestag adopted the Twenty-Fourth Act to Amend the Act on the Legal Status of Members of the Bundestag, and the Twentieth Act to Amend the Act on the Legal Status of Members of the European Parliament. These legislative changes reduced the benefits previously available to members of the Bundestag and German members of the European Parliament, by abolishing subsidies that had previously been payable towards costs arising in the event of death. The amount of interim financial assistance payable to survivors of deceased parliamentarians was also reduced, by 1,050, with effect from 31 March 2004. In addition, funeral expenses paid by persons outside the deceased parliamentarian's family will no longer be eligible for interim financial assistance.

On 15 August 2003, the Bundestag adopted the Fourth Act to Amend the European Elections Act, and the Nineteenth Act to Amend the Act on the Legal Status of Members of the European Parliament. These legislative changes were introduced in order to bring national law into line with the relevant provisions of European Union law, and were the subject of a memorandum produced by the Bundestag in spring 2004. The main provisions of the European Elections Act in its original and amended versions subsequently entered into force. Articles 2 and 3 of the amending legislation, including the core amendments to be implemented in the European Elections Act and the Act on the Legal Status of Members of the European Parliament, such as the incompatibility of membership of the European Parliament with membership of the Bundestag, entered into force on 1 April 2004. Article 1, paragraph 3(b), of the amending legislation entered into force on 20 July 2004. In line with this provision, the election of the representatives to be appointed to the parties' representative bodies must in future be held no earlier than 18 months (previously 12 months) before the start of the year in which the elections to the European Parliament take place.

Iraq
Iraq's newly appointed National Council met for the first time on 1 September 2004. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by the Deputy President, Mr. Rowsch Shaways, a number of ministers and the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, Mr. Ashraf Jehangir Qazi.

The 100 members of the Council were selected by a National Conference that had convened in August 2004 in Baghdad. The main task of the National Council will be monitoring the performance of the interim Iraqi Government. In addition to this, the Council has to approve the 2005 budget, and will help set the framework for elections early in 2005 to create a permanent Government.

Republic of the Congo
The rules of procedure of the National Assembly have been changed in respect of the amount of time allotted to deputies during the session for putting oral questions to the Government, with debate. The time allotted to each deputy now may not exceed five minutes, whereas it had previously been 10 minutes.

Saudi Arabia
In the process of granting the Majlis Ash-Shura additional legislative power, the King issued a decree dated 26 November 2003 amending two articles of the Majlis Ash-Shura's rules of procedure. Before the amendment, all the Majlis Ash-Shura's resolutions were forwarded to the Prime Minister, for consideration by the Council of Ministers. If the views of both Councils were in agreement, the resolutions would come into force following the King's approval. The amendment in the decree establishes instead that the Majlis Ash-Shura's resolutions shall be forwarded to the King, who will decide which resolutions are forwarded for consideration to the Council of Ministers. If both Councils are in agreement, the resolutions come into force following the King's approval. If there is disagreement, the issue is returned to the Majlis Ash-Shura, which can then include its viewpoint when forwarding it to the King, who then decides what he deems to be appropriate.

The other modification eliminates the stipulation that only groups of at least 10 members of the Majlis Ash-Shura have the right to propose draft laws or amendments to laws. The law now stipulates that the Majlis Ash-Shura has the right to propose draft laws or amendments to laws, without any mention of the number of members who should submit it.

Sweden
Several articles of the Elections Act (1997:157) underwent terminological changes following a change of names of the Swedish Tax Authority. The new wording of the text took effect on 1 January 2004. Further amendments to the Elections Act were made to adapt it to new European Union (EU) rules concerning elections to the European Parliament. The most important effect of these amendments was to add further positions (such as member of the national parliament, member of the European Central Bank Board of Directors and EU Ombudsman) to the list of positions that cannot be combined with that of being Member of the European Parliament. These regulations took effect on 30 April 2004.

On 4 December 2003, the parliament (Riksdag) passed a recommendation from the Committee on the Constitution concerning amendments to supplementary provision 5.4.1 of the Riksdag Act (1974:153) and article 2(a) of the Act concerning the Duties of the Riksdag Administration (2000:419). The amendments, which took effect on 1 January 2004, were both minor adjustments of a correctional nature that had been required due to earlier, misleading changes in the Acts concerned.

An amendment to article 10 of the Act concerning Support for the Parliamentary Work of Members of Parliament and Parliamentary Party Groups (1999:1209) raised the level of economic support provided to political advisers (one per two MPs) from 35,600 SEK (about US$ 4,800) per month to 36,700 SEK (about US$ 4,940) per month. The new regulation took effect on 1 January 2004.