Elections in Laos

Lao citizens by birth can vote from the age of 18 and can stand as candidates from the age of 20. A court decision withdrawing voting rights or a legally established lack of legal capacity can exclude a person from voting. Voters present identification at the polling station. Voting is free, and available international classifications describe the system as a plurality or majority system with first-past-the-post elements in multi-member constituencies. Laos has one national legislative chamber, and members of the National Assembly serve five-year terms. The National Assembly Standing Committee appoints the 21 members of the National Election Committee, whose chair is the President of the National Assembly. Local Election Committees implement the election in their jurisdictions. Under the 2025 Constitution, the election should take place no later than 60 days before the legislative term ends. The National Assembly and Provincial People’s Councils were elected on the same day in 2026, but they are separate mandates and ballots. For the 2026 National Assembly election, the National Election Committee confirmed 243 candidates for 175 seats on 23 January and published the list on 25 January. The list included 66 women and covered 18 constituencies. Candidate selection is strongly directed through party committees. Candidates communicate with voters through meetings, print media, radio, television and online channels. Election campaigning is not permitted on election day. No reliable official information in the available material establishes candidate-registration or campaign fees, and voting is not compulsory. Polling stations may operate in schools, community halls, temples and other approved secure locations. Officials show that the ballot boxes are empty before voting begins. Each voter proceeds individually, uses a private booth and places the National Assembly ballot and the Provincial People’s Council ballot in the correct boxes. A voter who makes a marking error can exchange the ballot. Voters who cannot read may receive assistance that follows their own choice. Mobile ballot boxes can serve voters who are ill, elderly or have disabilities. Bribery, defamation, disruption, interference with counting, campaigning on election day and spreading unofficial election documents are prohibited. Voters have the right to participate, receive candidate information and cast a secret ballot. The Constitution also allows voters to propose recalling their own representatives when they have lost confidence in them. Local committees count and verify ballots, and the National Election Committee formally announces the results. Central and provincial election committees distribute the results nationwide. In 2026, the announced result on 2 March recorded 175 elected National Assembly members from the 18 constituencies; the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party won all 175 seats. The available current English-language material does not establish a detailed independent appeal procedure, so complaints or questions about the result should be directed to the National Election Committee or the relevant Local Election Committee. The elected National Assembly met constitutionally from 23 to 27 March 2026. After certification of the elected members and a report from the National Election Committee, it elected the President of the National Assembly, the President and Vice President of the Lao PDR, and the Prime Minister. It also approved the Cabinet and the government structure. This formal process connects the election result with the formation of the national government.