MONACO

LAST ELECTIONS

Also available: Archive of past election results for this chamber

Chamber:

Conseil national

Dates of election / renewal (from/to):

3 February 2008

Purpose of elections:

Elections were held for all the seats in the National Council on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.

Background and outcome of elections:

The February 2008 elections were the first to be held under the reign of Prince Albert II, who succeeded his father, Prince Rainier, upon his death in April 2005.

In the previous elections held in February 2003, the opposition coalition, the Union for Monaco (UPM) led by Mr. Stéphane Valéri - comprising the Union for the Principality (UP), the National Union for the Future of Monaco (UNAM), and the Promotion of the Monegasque Family (PFM) - had won 21 of the 24 seats in the National Council. The National and Democratic Union (UND), which had dominated the country's politics for 40 years, had taken only three seats. Its leader and outgoing Speaker, Mr. Jean-Louis Campora, had lost his seat. Mr. Valéri had succeeded him as Speaker.

Prior to the 2008 elections, the PFM, the Monegasque Synergy, and the Association of Non-Attached Monegasques formed an alliance called "Monaco Together". Another opposition coalition, Rally and Issues for Monaco (REM), comprised the Values and Issues party of Mr. Laurent Nouvion and the Rally for Monaco party (RPM) of Mr. Guy Magnan.

In all, 63 candidates - 24 each from the UPM and the REM, and 15 from "Monaco Together" - stood for the 2008 elections. All the coalitions pledged to uphold the values of the Principality.

The UPM, led by Speaker Valéri, called for voters' support for continuous "evolution". Its programmes focused on enhancing the quality of life through economic development. The UPM's main rival, REM, criticized what it termed as "a drift towards parliamentarism", claiming that the UPM was trying to transform the monarchy into a parliamentary system. Mr. Valéri dismissed the criticism, reaffirming his loyalty to the Principality. The "Monaco Together" alliance promised to provide more jobs and facilitate the setting up of companies.

In all, 76.85 per cent of the 6,300 registered voters turned out at the polls.

Observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) declared the elections free and fair. It nevertheless recommended early publication of political programmes as well as more public debates so that voters could acquire a better understanding of the platforms of each political party.

The UPM retained its 21 seats, winning over 52 per cent of the valid votes. The REM took only three seats, although it obtained over 40 per cent of the valid votes. The "Monaco Together" alliance failed to win any parliamentary representation. In all, six women were elected.

The newly-elected National Council held its first session on 14 February and re-elected Mr. Valéri (UPM) as its Speaker.

STATISTICS


Round no 1 (3 February 2008): Election results
Number of registered electors		6'316
Voters		4'854 (76.85%)
Blank or invalid ballot papers		204
Valid votes		4'650



Round no 1: Distribution of votes

Political Group	Candidates	Votes	%
Union for Monaco (UPM)	24	53'523	1151.03
Rally and Issues for Monaco (REM)	24	41'512	892.73

Round no 1: Distribution of seats

Political Group

Total

Union for Monaco (UPM)

Rally and Issues for Monaco (REM)

Comments:

Source: http://www.monaco-mairie.mc/

Note on the number of votes
Each voter casts one ballot paper containing up to 24 candidates. The number of votes won by each political party thus exceeds the total number of voters.

Distribution of seats according to sex:

Men:

Women:

Percent of women:

25.00

Distribution of seats according to age:

Distribution of seats according to profession:

Also available: Archive of past election results for this chamber

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