Gender Quotas Database
Timor-Leste
South-Eastern Asia
Single / Lower House
National Parliament
| Total seats | 65 |
| Total women | 25 |
| Percentage of women | 38% |
| Gender Quota target | 33% |
| Election year | 2023 |
| Electoral system | List PR |
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law | Under Article 12 (3) of the 2006 Law on the Elections of the National Parliament (as amended in 2011), on electoral lists, 1 out of every group of 3 candidates must be a woman. |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | The list will be rejected if it does not comply with the quota provisions (Article 12 (3)). |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law |
On electoral lists, 1 out of every group of 3 candidates must be a woman (Article 12 (3)). On electoral lists, 1 out of every group of 3 candidates must be a woman (Article 12 (3)). Where the applicant giving rise to the vacancy is of the female sex, the vacancy is filled by another female candidate who is immediately next in order on the list, if any. (Electoral Law, Article 15) |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | No | 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 | Reserved seats |
| Gender Quota target | 33% |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Reserved seats | Electoral law |
Article 13 Organization of lists: 2. The lists of candidates, effective and substitutes, for municipal deputies must include, at least, one woman for each group of three candidates, under penalty of rejection (Electoral Municipality Law 2021)
|
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
A debate on the introduction of quotas for women took place in Timor-Leste during the period of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) between October 1999 and April 2001 (Ballington and Dahlerup 2006: 251–52). During this period, Rede Feto Timor Leste (a network of 16 women’s organizations) proposed that a mandatory quota be stipulated in the electoral regulation, relying on the Beijing Platform of Action and the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). At least 30 per cent of women candidates were to be proposed in the political party lists and placed in winnable positions, with every third candidate listed from the top being a woman. However, in 2001 the National Council rejected quotas. Article 12. 3 of the electoral law was eventually adopted in 2006, providing that one out of every four candidates on electoral lists must be a woman. This quota was revised in 2011 to provide for an improved rule that includes a woman in every three candidates on candidate lists.
Moreover, a new law for Municipality Elections was issued in 2021 providing that lists of candidates, effective and substitutes, for municipal deputies must include, at least, one woman for each group of three candidates, under penalty of rejection.
Sources
Legal Sources:
- Constitution of Timor-Leste (amended through 2017) - Link
- Electoral Law for National Parliament 6/2006 (amended through 2007, 2011 P/E, 2012, 2017)- Portuguese/English
- Electoral Municipality Law 2021 - Link
- Political Parties Law 3/2004 (amended through 2016)- Link
- National Parliament - Link
- National Electoral Commission - Link
Other Sources:
- IFES Country Profile - Link
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Timor-Leste on iKNOW Politics
- Ballington, J. and Dahlerup, D. 2006. ‘Gender quotas in post-conflict states: East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq’, in Dahlerup, D. Women, Quotas and Politics, London/New York: Routledge, pp. 249-258.
- Pires, M. 2002. ‘East Timor and the Debate on Quotas.’ International IDEA, Regional Workshop on the Implementation of Quotas: Asian Experiences. Jakarta. Indonesia, September 2002.
- ‘East Timor: women demand 30% quota.’ 2001. Off Our Backs 31, no. 4:5.
- Peace Women. 2001. Security Council Resolution 1325 - One Year On.
- UN Women Asia and the Pacific, https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en
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