Asia-Pacific News

Laos election results offer a few surprises

May 10, 2011, 12:00 GMT

Vientiane - Laos' general election voted in at least one non-Communist Party member to the National Assembly and saw fewer women winning seats than expected, news reports said Tuesday.

Laos, one of the world's few remaining communist states, held an election April 30 for the 132-seat legislature.

Only the Communist Party is allowed to contest elections in Laos although five independents were permitted to run.

Of these, Sisaliao Swengsuksa, president of the Lao Farmer Products company, won a seat in the capital, Vientiane, media reports said.

Of the 3.24 million people eligible to vote, 3.23 million cast their ballots, the state-run Vientiane Times reported.

Voting is mandatory in Laos, which has been under one-party rule since 1975.

Of the 190 candidates contesting the election, 47 were women in keeping with the government's publicly stated goal to have 30 per cent of the next National Assembly made up of female representatives.

The goal was not met. Of the winners, 99, or 75 per cent, were male, and 33 were female, similar to the previous assembly gender breakdown.

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