Communist Laos holds elections for a national assembly on Saturday, offering its citizens a rare say in the running of one of Asia's most secretive and tightly controlled countries. The five-yearly poll has struggled to generate much excitement among Laos's estimated 6.4 million people, most of whom see the election as a formality, with candidates hand-picked and vetted by the only legal political party in what is one of the world's last remaining socialist states.
But there are some subtle changes this time that the ruling Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) says reflects the country's diversity and offers greater representation to ethnic groups, women and rural communities, which constitute 70 percent of the population.
Because of its poor infrastructure, Laos will transport ballot boxes by air from five far-flung provinces inaccessible by road to speed up the vote count. An estimated 2.5 million eligible voters have a chance to elect 132 representatives from among the 190 candidates vying to become assembly members and "approve the fundamental issues of the nation", according to state media.
The Lao assembly debates very little and serves more as a rubber stamp for decisions made by the powerful 11-member politburo, propped up by a highly cohesive 61-member central committee, modelled largely on neighbouring Vietnam, its biggest political ally.
The assembly will pass votes on most laws and will be tasked with choosing a president and approving his choice of prime minister. President Choummaly Sayasone won the support of 100 percent of assembly members before coming to office in 2006 and was re-elected head LPRP leader last month. Choumally, 75, has outlined a vision to pull Laos out of poverty by 2020 by attracting foreign investment to boost its fragile $6 billion economy. Part of the plan, a stock market, was put in place in January this year.
With numerous rivers flowing through its mountains, Laos wants to become the "battery of Southeast Asia", selling power to its energy-hungry neighbours. Its jungles are also rich in minerals, attracting miners. The party is targeting economic growth of 8 percent annually over the next five years after expanding an average 7.9 percent a year since 2005. It sees foreign direct investment as the main driver and is seeking to boost trade with China, Vietnam and fellow members of the 10-state Association of South East Asian Nations.