Gender Quotas Database
Mauritius
Eastern Africa
Single / Lower House
Assemblee nationale / National Assembly
| Total seats | 70 |
| Total women | 14 |
| Percentage of women | 20% |
| Election year | 2019 |
| Electoral system | BV |
| Quota type | No legislated |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
(a) Every group presenting more than 2 candidates at an election of a Municipal City Council or Municipal Town Council shall ensure that not more than two thirds of the group’s candidates for election to that Council are of the same sex. (Article 11.6) |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law |
(a) A group may submit to the Electoral Supervisory Commission a list of reserve candidates for the election of Municipal City Councillors, Municipal Town Councillors or Village Councillors, for the purpose of filling ... (iv) indicate the order of precedence of each of the candidates appearing on the list, provided that not more than 2 consecutive candidates on the list shall be of the same sex. (Article 18.5) |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| Mauritian Militant Movement | Mouvement Militant Mauricien (MMM) |
"The MMM, in view of its principles and its historic fight for equality, undertakes to achieve gender parity as soon as possible. As a transitional measure the MMM will strive to achieve the threshold of one-third of female representation in its bodies as soon as possible.in the party will gradually increase to 40% in 2020, then to 45% in 2025, and to 50% in 2030." (Article 3 (1) of the Party Constitution) |
* 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 adoption of the 2011 Local Government Act marks a positive development for the promotion of gender equality in Mauritius. In line with the constitutional provisions for non-discrimination on grounds of sex, the provisions of the 2011 Local Government Act are formulated in a gender-neutral manner.
The legislated candidate quota provisions of the new Act were implemented for the first time at the December 2012 local government elections, resulting in a significant increase of the representation of women in village councils from 5.8 per cent to 25.5 per cent and from 12.5 per cent to 35.5 per cent in municipal councils.
Sources
Legal Sources:
- Constitution of Mauritius - Link
- Election Law - Link
- Local Government Act 36/2011 (amended through 2013, 2015, 2018) - Link
Other Sources:
- Parliament of Mauritius - Link
- Electoral Commission - Link
- Aimée, L. H. (April 24, 2012). ‘New Act Set to Increase Women’s Participation in Local Government, 2012’, accessed 03 April 2014
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Mauritius on iKNOW Politics
- Ramtohul, R. (2020). Women’s political representation in small island developing states : a comparative analysis of Mauritius and Seychelles. Small States & Territories, 3(1), 83-98.
- Yoon, Y. M. & Bunwaree, S. (2008). The Mauritian election of 2005: An unprecedented increase of women in parliament. Journal of International Women's Studies, 9(3), 13-26.
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