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Laos
Index
The National Assembly, the country's supreme
legislative body,
is to be elected every five years. Significantly, this
designation
was used in RLG and French colonial times, before the
introduction
of the title "Supreme People's Assembly" in late 1975. It
is
located in a new building, far larger than the previous
structure
built in colonial times, and contains an auditorium
seating 800
persons.
The National Assembly makes decisions on fundamental
issues and
oversees administrative and judicial organs. Its most
significant
powers include electing and removing the president of
state, the
president of the Supreme People's Court, and the
prosecutor
general, "on the recommendation of the National Assembly
Standing
Committee." Its prestige has been further enhanced by the
constitutional mandate to "make decisions on the
fundamental issues
of the country" and to "elect or remove the President of
state and
the Vice President of state", by a two-thirds vote, and to
approve
the removal of members of the government on the
recommendation of
the president of state. Its powers encompass amending the
constitution, determining taxes, approving the state
budget,
endorsing or abrogating laws, and electing or removing the
two top
judicial figures in the system. Members of the National
Assembly
have the "right to interpellate the members of the
government." The
National Assembly also ratifies treaties and decides
questions of
war and peace. These powers may prove to be limited,
however, by a
provision in the constitution that the National Assembly
will
generally meet in ordinary session only twice a year. The
Standing
Committee meeting in the interim may convene an
extraordinary
session if it deems necessary.
The constitution does not specify the number of members
in the
National Assembly, whose candidates are screened by the
LPRP. The
1989 election placed seventy-nine members in this body,
representing districts of between 40,000 and 50,000
persons each.
The election campaign lasted two months, and candidates
appeared
before voters at night in local schools or pagodas. Voting
consisted of crossing out unfavored candidates, and every
ballot
contained at least two candidates. The number of party
members
elected by this process was officially placed at
sixty-five.
Between sessions, the Standing Committee of the
National
Assembly, consisting of the president and the vice
president
elected by the National Assembly and an unspecified number
of other
members, prepares for future sessions and "supervise[s]
and
oversee[s] the activities of the administrative and
judicial
organizations." It is empowered to appoint or remove the
vice
president of the Supreme People's Court and judges at all
levels of
the lower courts. Its supervisory role can be reinforced
by
National Assembly committees established to consider draft
laws and
decrees and to help in the supervision and administration
of the
courts. The special National Assembly Law passed March 25,
1993,
specifies five substantive areas for National Assembly
committees:
secretarial; law; economic planning and finances;
cultural, social,
and nationalities; and foreign affairs. The membership of
the
committees includes not only National Assembly members but
also
chiefs and deputy chiefs, who "guide the work," and
technical
cadres.
Data as of July 1994
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