Assembleia Nacional

General Information

Parliament name (generic / translated)	Assembleia Nacional / National Assembly
Structure of parliament	Unicameral
Leadership
President	Aristides Raimundo Lima (M)
Secretary General	Eutrópio Lima da Cruz (M)
Composition
Members (statutory / current number)	72 / 72
Women (current number)	13 (18.06%)
Mode of designation	Directly elected 72
Term	5 years
Last renewal dates	22 January 2006

Legal Framework
Electoral law	30 December 1994 Last modification: 2000
Mode of designation	Directly elected 72
Voting system	Proportional: Proportional representation; closed party-list system (cumulative voting) using the d'Hondt method Vacancies arising between general elections are filled by substitutes elected at the same time as titular members. There are no reserved seats for women, ethnic minorities or other categories. Voting is not compulsory.
Voter requirements	age: 18 Cape Verdean citizenship disqualifications: persons under special guardianship, insanity, criminal conviction
Candidates
Eligibility	qualified electors age: 18 Cape Verdean citizenship ineligibilities: persons under special guardianship, insanity, criminal conviction
Incompatibilities	government members judges diplomats members of the armed forces on active duty members of the Council of the Republic (except for the President of the National Assembly) members of the National Electoral Commission
Candidacy requirements	Candidates names must be submitted by political parties on lists of as many candidates as there are seats to be filled in each constituency, 50 to 40 days before the elections.

Appointment and term of office
Title	Speaker of the National Assembly
Term	duration: 5 years (term of House) reasons for interruption of the term: resignation, death, dissolution
Appointment	elected by all the members whose mandate has been validated election is held at the first sitting of the newly elected Assembly or when a vacancy occurs after members are sworn in after validation of mandates
Eligibility	any member may be a candidate candidatures must be supported by a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 20 members candidatures must be deposited at least one hour before the election
Voting system	formal vote by secret ballot absolute majority in the first round, second round between the two leading candidates from the first round
Procedures / results	the outgoing Speaker presides over the Assembly during the voting a Committee established for the occasion and composed of members representing all parties supervises the voting
Status
Status	ranks second in the hierarchy of the State represents the Assembly with the public authorities represents the Assembly in international bodies in the absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speakers (by order of their ranks) can assume his/her role and functions
Board	is regulated by the Standing Orders consists of the Speaker, two Deputy Speakers and two Secretaries
Material facilities	allowance : 95% of the salary of the President of the Republic expense allowance : 387 600 US dollars