Parliamentary elections were held in Laos on 2 January 1972 to elect members of the National Assembly, the lower chamber of Parliament.Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p135 The elections were contested by around 200 candidates, and more than two-thirds of incumbent MPs lost their seats.Laos Inter-Parliamentary Union Voter turnout was 67.8%.
The election was contested by around 200 candidates, who generally ran as individuals rather than on formal party platforms; the Neo Lao Hak Xat and its military arm, the Pathet Lao, boycotted the election and declared it illegal. More than two-thirds of the members of the previous National Assembly failed to retain their seats, while 58 men and two women were elected.
The election was the last parliamentary election held under the Kingdom of Laos, which was abolished following the Pathet Lao's seizure of power in December 1975. It was also the last competitive multiparty parliamentary election held in Laos before the establishment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic and the subsequent introduction of a one-party political system.
Results
References