o-government) 4,
unassociated independents (all Sunni) 3, independent affiliated with
al Wifaq (Sunni oppositionist) 1

Bangladesh
unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300
seats elected by popular vote from single territorial
constituencies; members serve five-year terms; note - parliament not
in session during the extended caretaker regime
elections: last held 1 October 2001 (the scheduled January 2007
election has been postponed until 29 December 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance
partners 41%, AL 40%, other 19%; seats by party - BNP 193, AL 58, JI
17, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 2, JP (Manzur) 4, other 12; note -
the election of October 2001 brought to power a majority BNP
government aligned with three other smaller parties - JI, IOJ, and
Jatiya Party (Manzur)

Barbados
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21 seats;
members appointed by the governor general - 12 on the advice of the
Prime Minister, 2 on the advice of the opposition leader, and 7 at
his discretion) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are
elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 15 January 2008 (next to be
called in 2013)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - DLP
52.5%, BLP 47.3%; seats by party - DLP 20, BLP 10

Belarus
bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobranie
consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64
seats; 56 members elected by regional councils and eight members
appointed by the president, to serve four-year terms) and the
Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Palata Predstaviteley - last held 28 September 2008 (next
to be held fall of 2012); international observers widely denounced
the elections as flawed and undemocratic based on massive government
falsification; pro-LUKASHENKO candidates won all 110 seats
election results: Soviet Respubliki - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - NA; Palata Predstaviteley - percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party - NA

Belgium
bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in
Dutch, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly elected by
popular vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve four-year
terms) and a Chamber o