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Parliament name (generic / translated) Asamblea Nacional / National Assembly More photos  >>> Structure of parliament Unicameral Affiliation to the IPU Yes Affiliation date(s) 1926 - 1933 1959 - LEADERSHIP President Cilia Adela Flores (F)  Secretary General Iván Zerpa Guerrero (M)  COMPOSITION Members (statutory / current number) 167 / 166 PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN More statistics  >>> Women (current number) 29 (17.47%) Mode of designation Directly elected 164 Other 3 Notes Other: three seats are reserved for indigenous people of Venezuela. Term 5 years Last renewal dates 4 December 2005 (View details) CONTACT INFORMATION Address Asamblea Nacional Administrativa (For administrative purposes/Services administratifs): Edificio José María Vargas, Esquina de Pajaritos. Caracas, 1010. Venezuela Asamblea Nacional Sede de las Plenarias (Meetings of the Legislature/Corps législatif): Palacio Federal Legislativo, E (Export mailing lists) Phone (58 212) 409 7022 (58 212) 409 7025 (58 212) 483 3664 (58 212) 483 2995 (58 212) 483 4690 (58 212) 4834761 (58 212) 4833949 Fax (58 212) 409 70 29 (58 212) 409 70 38 E-mail relacionesinternacionales@an.gob.ve Website http://www.asambleanacional.gob.ve/

Parliament name (generic / translated) Asamblea Nacional / National Assembly Structure of parliament Unicameral LEGAL FRAMEWORK Electoral law 13 December 1997 Last amendment: 02.10.1998 Mode of designation Directly elected 164 Other 3 Constituencies - 24 multi-member constituencies (2 seats or more) corresponding to the States and the Federal District Voting system Mixed: Mixed system: - simple majority vote in single-member constituencies - closed party-lists with proportional representation and allocation of seats based on the d'Hondt method in multi-member constituencies Moreover, a variable number of "additional seats" is distributed to compensate for cases of under-representation. According to this system, the Supreme Electoral Council establishes a national quotient by dividing the total number of valid votes cast throughout the country by the number of Deputies already directly elected. It then divides the number of votes obtained by each party by this quotient and allocates to each party a number of additional seats, not exceeding five for the Chamber of Deputies, corresponding to the difference between the result of this division and the overall number of seats already obtained. The additional Deputies are assigned to those constituencies in which the party concerned has received no seat at all or in which it is the most under-represented, on the basis of the number of votes won. Vacancies arising between general elections are filled by the "next-in-line" candidate on the same party list. Voting is compulsory, except in certain specific cases. - Each body also elects three Deputies representing the indigenous peoples in accordance with their tradition and customs, pursuant to Article 186 of the Constitution. Voter requirements - age: 18 years - Venezuelan citizenship by birth CANDIDATES Eligibility Qualified elector - age: 21 years - Venezuelan citizenship by birth or naturalisation, with a minimum of 15 years residence in the country - Residence in the region for four consecutive years. Incompatibilities - President of the Republic, Executive Vice-President, Ministers, Secretary to the Presidency, director of autonomous institute or of State enterprise, up to three months after separation from any such office - Governors and secretaries of Governor's Offices, of states and similarly ranking authorities of the Capital City District up to three months after separation from such office - Municipal, State and national officials, and those from autonomous institutes, when the election is held in their jurisdictions, except in cases where the position is temporary or subordinate or for teaching or academic purposes. Candidacy requirements - candidatures must be submitted independently on the individual's own initiative -submitted by a political party - candidates must be enrolled on the electoral register - submitted by a number of citizens equal to had required by the Constitution or political party

Parliament name (generic / translated) Asamblea Nacional / National Assembly Structure of parliament Unicameral BACKGROUND Dates of election / renewal (from/to) 4 December 2005 Timing and scope of renewal Elections were held for all the seats in the National Assembly. On 4 December 2005, elections for an enlarged 167-member National Assembly (up from 165) were held together with elections for 12 deputies to the Latin American Parliament and 5 deputies to the Andean Parliament. In the last elections in July 2000, the party of President Hugo Chávez, the Fifth Republic Movement (MVR), won 93 of 165 seats, and its ally, the Movement towards Socialism (MAS), six seats. Opposition parties obtained a total of 43 seats, as follows: the Democratic Action (AD), 32 seats; Project Venezuela (PRYZL), seven seats; and the Social Christian Party (COPEI), four seats. The remaining seats went to other small parties. The 2005 elections were boycotted by the three main opposition parties, which claimed that the National Elections Council favored pro-government candidates. They also argued that the use of high-tech thumbprint voter identification devices would violate the secrecy of the vote. Although the National Elections Council decided to remove the fingerprint capturing devices , the opposition parties withdrew from the elections on 29 November 2005. The MVR and its allies aimed to increase their majority in the National Assembly to two-thirds in order to be able to pass constitutional reforms that were strongly opposed by opposition leaders. On polling day, only 25 per cent of the country's 14.2 million registered voters turned out to vote, sharply down from 56 per cent in the 2000 elections. Polling stations in middle-class urban areas were reportedly empty. Observers from the Organization of American States (OAS) declared the poll legitimate. European Union (EU) observers concluded that election day had passed off peacefully despite a low turnout. They noted several irregularities in the voting procedures, but confirmed the high reliability of the voting machines. The MVR and its allies won a total of 161 seats. The remaining six seats went to candidates supporting President Chávez. No opposition members were elected. The National Assembly held its first session on 5 January 2006 and re-elected Mr. Nicolas Maduro as Speaker. STATISTICS Voter turnout Round no 1 4 December 2005 Number of registered electors Voters Blank or invalid ballot papers Valid votes 14'272'964 3'604'741 (25.26%) 206'174 3'398'567 Notes Distribution of votes Round no 1 Political group Candidates Votes % of votes Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) Others Distribution of seats Round no 1 Political Group Total of seats Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) 161 Others 6 Distribution of seats according to sex Men Women Percent of women 138 29 17.37% Distribution of seats according to age Distribution of seats according to profession Comments Source: http://www.cne.gov.ve/ Asamblea Nacional (16.01.2006; 22.02.2006, 01.01.2010)

This page was last updated on 8 March 2010
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