Gender Quotas Database
El Salvador
Central America
Single / Lower House
Asamblea legislativa / Legislative Assembly
| Total seats | 60 |
| Total women | 19 |
| Percentage of women | 32% |
| Gender Quota target | 30% |
| Election year | 2024 |
| 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 |
Political parties must integrate their plans for the election of deputations to the legislative assembly, central American parliament, and members of municipal council, with at least thirty percent participation of women. … including candidatures of owners and alternates. … in the case of the sheets with candidatures for municipal council, the minimum thirty percent participation of women will be required both in the sheets presented by political parties or coalitions if they are winners, …. (Article 38) |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Law on Political Parties |
The following constitute serious infractions: … (e) Failure to guarantee gender equality in the terms established by this Law; (Article 71) The political party that incurs any of the serious infractions will be sanctioned with a fine of fifteen to fifty-five minimum monthly salaries in force for the commerce and services sector, and must also correct the infraction in a period of no more than fifteen days. (Article 73) |
| 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 | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Gender Quota target | 30% |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
Political parties must integrate their plans for the election of deputations to the legislative assembly, central American parliament, and members of municipal council, with at least thirty percent participation of women. … including candidatures of owners and alternates. … in the case of the sheets with candidatures for municipal council, the minimum thirty percent participation of women will be required both in the sheets presented by political parties or coalitions if they are winners, …. (Article 38) |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Law on Political Parties |
The following constitute serious infractions: … (e) Failure to guarantee gender equality in the terms established by this Law; (Article 71) The political party that incurs any of the serious infractions will be sanctioned with a fine of fifteen to fifty-five minimum monthly salaries in force for the commerce and services sector, and must also correct the infraction in a period of no more than fifteen days. (Article 73) |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| National Liberation Front Farabundo Mart | Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN) |
FMLN has a 35 percent quota for women (party statutes of 1996, article 9). |
* 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 Law on Political Parties (Article 37) also states that political parties must include at least 30 per cent women on their lists of candidates for the elections for the Central American Parliament.
Sources
Legal Sources:
- Constitution of El Salvador - Link
- Electoral Law - Link
- Political Parties Law - Link
- Gender Quota Legislations - Link
Other Sources:
- Parliament of El Salvador - Link
- Electoral Commission - Link
- When quotas go wrong - and what to do about it - Link
- Garzón de la Roza, G., Llanos, B. and Roza, V., Gender and Political Parties: Far from Parity (Stockholm, Lima and Washington, DC: International IDEA and Inter-American Development Bank, 2011),
- 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.
- Herrera, M (2015): "Más allá de los Números: Las Mujeres Transforman el Poder Legislativo en América Latina y el Caribe. Estudio del País:El Salvador". UNDP in collaboration with the Spanish Government.
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on El Salvador on iKNOW Politics
- Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean: El Salvador (Official Website)
- Htun, Mala N. 2002. Women in Political Power in Latin America. Manuscript.
- Murcia, A., Rosekrans, K., Paniagua, M.A., and Quezada, A.Y. 1999. El Salvador Report: Transition and Participation. http://www.socialwatch.org/node/10650
- Htun, Mala N. 1998. Women's Political Participation, Representation and Leadership in Latin America. Issue Brief, Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas.
- Asociación Internacional para el Desarrollo Económico y Social and CIDEP. 1997. ‘El Salvador: The poor ... are they saved?’, http://www.socialwatch.org/node/10589
- El Salvador Parliament website, http://www.asamblea.gob.sv/
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