The Supreme Council (, ; , Verkhovny Sovet) is the unicameral Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic. It was known as the Supreme Soviet of the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic until 1991. The parliament has 90 seats with members elected for a five-year term by two methods: party-list proportional voting (54 seats) and first-past-the-post voting (36 seats). History During Soviet rule, it was known as the Supreme Soviet of the Kirghiz SSR. From 1991, when Kyrgyzstan gained independence from the Soviet Union, until October 2007, when the Constitution was changed in a referendum, the Supreme Council consisted of the Legislative Assembly (Мыйзам Чыгаруу Жыйыны, Mıyzam Chıgharuu Zhıyını, the upper house) and the Assembly of People's Representatives (Эл Окулдор Жыйыны, El Öküldör Zhıyını, lower house) with 60 and 45 members, respectively. The members of both houses were elected to five-year terms. In the Assembly of People's Representatives all 45 members were elected in single-seat constituencies; in the Legislative Assembly 45 members were elected in single-seat constituencies and 15 were elected through party lists. Since October 2007, the Supreme Council is a unicameral legislature. Originally it consisted of 90 members, however when in 2010 President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted after riots, a new Constitution was adopted, that increased the number of members to 120. Parties are limited to 65 seats in order to prevent power concentration. A vote on amending the constitution cut the number of seats in the parliament by 25%, thereby returning to 90 seats. Electoral system Out of the 90 seats in the Supreme Council, 54 are elected by proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency, and 36 in single-seat districts. To win seats, parties must pass a national electoral threshold of 5% of the votes cast (down from 7% in the October 2020 elections), and receive at least 0.5% of the vote in each of the seven regions. The lists are open, with voters able to cast a single preferential vote. No one party is allowed to be given more than half of the proportional seats. Party lists are required to have at least 30% of the candidates from each gender, and every fourth candidate had to be of a different gender. Each list is also required to have at least 15% of the candidates being from ethnic minorities and 15% of under 35 years old, as well as at least two candidates with disabilities. Speakers The first legislature