Gender Quotas Database
Panama
Central America
Single / Lower House
Asamblea Nacional / National Assembly
| Total seats | 71 |
| Total women | 16 |
| Percentage of women | 23% |
| Election year | 2019 |
| Electoral system |
|
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
Political participation shall be governed by the principle of parity and equal participation of women and men in the internal and general electoral processes for composition, both in the internal organizational structures and in the nominations to the positions of popular election of the political parties, as well as of the parties in formation, in terms of the nominations of delegates or conventional for the congresses or constitutive convention. All nominations of pre-candidates and candidates shall be composed of a principal of one gender, accompanied by an alternate of the other gender. The political parties will nominate 50% of women and 50% of men of the total of the main positions of deputies, mayors, representatives of corregimientos and councillors, corresponding to each province. (Article 373) |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law |
Nominations for the convention will be made guaranteeing gender parity, i.e. 50% men and 50% women. The Electoral Tribunal will not approve nominations that do not meet this condition. (Article 71) |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law |
In cases where women's participation, as verified by the party's Women's Secretariat, is lower than the parity and participation established in this regulation, political parties may supplement it with other candidates for the respective positions. (Article 373) |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | Yes |
at least 20% of the public funding allocated to civic-political education, must be for the development of exclusive activities for the training of women. See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
| Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
Political participation shall be governed by the principle of parity and equal participation of women and men in the internal and general electoral processes for composition, both in the internal organizational structures and in the nominations to the positions of popular election of the political parties, as well as of the parties in formation, in terms of the nominations of delegates or conventional for the congresses or constitutive convention. All nominations of pre-candidates and candidates shall be composed of a principal of one gender, accompanied by an alternate of the other gender. The political parties will nominate 50% of women and 50% of men of the total of the main positions of deputies, mayors, representatives of corregimientos and councillors, corresponding to each province. (Article 373) |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| No data available. | ||
* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. When a country has legislated quotas in place, only political parties that have voluntary quotas that exceed the percentage/number of the national quota legislation are presented in this table.
Additional information
The Republic of Panama is divided politically into 9 provinces, 75 districts or municipalities, 3 province-level indigenous comarcas (counties) and 620 corregimientos (towns), two of which are located within comarcas. "The Municipality is the autonomous form of political organization of a community within a district." (Chap. 2, Title VIII, Art.229, 1992 Constitution).
The electoral quota is incorporated to the Electoral Code in 1997 with Law 22, article 182-A and subsequentely in the modifications to the Electoral Code in 2007, leaving a quota of 30% for all candidatures to positions within parties and popularly-elected positions. Chapter III, Articles 236 and 239, Law 54 of 2012 reforms the Electoral Code and in article 239 establishes that internal party elections and primaries, the candidatures will be performed guaranteeing 50% for women as a minimum (United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean [ECLAC], n.d.).
In summary, before the introduction of the 50% rule, the law mandated the requirement of a minimum 30% women in nomination lists.
Sources
Legal Sources:
Other Sources:
- Parliament of Panama - Link
- Electoral Court - Link
- Electoral Tribunal of Panama launched General Elections Plan for 2024 with technical assistance of International IDEA - Link
- UN Women - Link
- Laws for gender equality: a step towards economic growth - Link
- UN Women and UNICEF promote gender equality and the empowerment of girls and women in Latin America and the Caribbean - Link
- Local Government Country Profile (UN Women) - Link
- Llanos, B (2019): “Surcando olas y contra-olas. Una mirada paritaria a los derechos políticos de las mujeres en América Latina”. Atenea, International IDEA, ONU Mujeres, UNDP.
- Roquebert, M.C (2015): "Electoras pero no elegidas. Es el tiempo de las ciudadanas. Diagnósticos sobre las condiciones para ejercer el dereceho de participación política de las mujeres en Panamá" Panamá: Atenea, International Idea, ONU Mujeres, UNDP.
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Panama on iKNOW Politics
- Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean: Panamá (Official Website)
- Welp, Y. (December 3, 2020). The politics of Panama in the pandemic. [Graduate Institute Geneva]
- UN Women. (2015). Panama commits to greater political participation and the eradication of violence against women.
- Arriola, E. R. (2009). Gender, Globalization and Women’s Issues in Panama City: A Comparative Inquiry. The University of Miami Inter-American Law Review, 41(1), 19–41. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20780275
- Htun, M. N. & Jones, M. P. 2002. Engendering the Right to Participate in Decision-Making: Electoral Quotas and Women's Leadership in Latin America. N. Craske & M. Molyneux(ed.) Gender and the Politics of Rights and Democracy in Latin America. New York: Palgrave. pp. 32-56.
- Htun, M. N. 2002. Mujeres y poder político en Latinoamérica, in International IDEA, Mujeres en el Parlamento. Más allá de los números, Stockholm: International IDEA, pp. 19-44.
- Peschard, J. 2002. ‘El sistema de cuotas en América Latina. Panorama general,’ in International IDEA. Mujeres en el Parlamento. Más allá de los números, Stockholm: International IDEA, pp. 173-186.
- Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas. 2001. Women and Power in the Americas: A Report Card. Washington: Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas.
- Htun, M. N. 1998. Women's Political Participation, Representation and Leadership in Latin America. Issue Brief, Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas.
- Panama Parliament website, http://www.asamblea.gob.pa/
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