7
March 2001)
cabinet: Ministers appointed by president, approved by National
Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected by National Assembly
for five-year terms; election last held 8 June 2006 (next to be held
in 2011); prime minister nominated by president and elected by
National Assembly for five-year term
election results: CHOUMMALI Saignason elected president; BOUN-GNANG
Volachit elected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote -
100%; BOUASONE Bouphavanh elected prime minister; percent of
National Assembly vote - 97%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (115 seats; members elected by popular
vote from a list of candidates selected by the Lao People's
Revolutionary Party to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 30 April 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
LPRP 113, independents 2

Judicial branch:

People's Supreme Court (the president of the People's Supreme Court
is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the
National Assembly Standing Committee; the vice president of the
People's Supreme Court and the judges are appointed by the National
Assembly Standing Committee)

Political parties and leaders:

Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALI Saignason];
other parties proscribed

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ADB, APT, ARF, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO (subscriber),
ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO,
UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador PHIANE Philakone
chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416
FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ravic R. HUSO
embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, That Dam, Vientiane
mailing address: American Embassy Vientiane, APO AP 96546
telephone: [856] 21-26-7000
FAX: [856] 21-26-7190

Flag description:

three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red
with a large white disk centered in the blue band

Economy
Laos

Economy - overview:

The government of Laos, one of the few remaining one-party Communist
states, began decentralizing control and encouraging private
enterpr