Gender Quotas Database
Serbia
Southern Europe
Single / Lower House
Narodna skupstina / National Assembly
| Total seats | 250 |
| Total women | 95 |
| Percentage of women | 38% |
| 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 |
At least 40% of members of the less represented gender must be on the electoral list (Article 73, Parliamentary Elections Law 2022) |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law |
The Republican Electoral Commission by decision refuses to announce the electoral list if a person who does not have the right to vote, who is a candidate for People's Deputy on the previously announced electoral list or who is the holder of the previously announced electoral list, is proposed as a deputy, if the legal rules on the representation of the sexes on the electoral list ... (Article 77, Parliamentary Elections Law 2022) |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law |
Among every five candidates in the order of the list (first five places, second five places and so to the end) must be three members of one and two members of the other sex. (Article 73, Parliamentary Elections Law 2022) |
| 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 |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
At least 40% of members of the less represented gender must be on the electoral list ... (Article 41, Law on Local Elections 14/2022) |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law |
... among every five candidates in order on the list (first five places, second five places and so on to the end) there must be three members of one and two members of the other sex. (Article 41, Law on Local Elections 14/2022) |
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
In 2004, amendments to the law of parliamentary elections were adopted, including a gender quota at the national and sub-national levels. The law specified that lists of candidates should include at least 30 per cent of the under-represented gender, and that for every four candidates at least one should be of the under-represented gender (International IDEA 2004: 48–49). Following the 2011 amendments to the Law on Elections at both the national and sub-national levels, the law was amended so that for every three candidates at least one should be of the under-represented gender. Furthermore, the 2011 amendments introduced closed lists, meaning that members of parliament should be extracted from the list of candidates in the same order as they appear on the lists.
General elections were planned for April 2020. However, they have been postponed due to the coronavirus situation.
Amendments to the parliamentary elections law (2022), and local elections law (2022) stipulated on a 40% gender quota.
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Constitution of Serbia (amended through 2022) - Link
- Parliamentary Elections Law 2022 - Link
- Political Parties Law - Link
- Law on Local Elections 14/2022 - Link
OTHER SOURCES:
- Parliament of Serbia - Link
- Electoral Commission - Link
- Strategy for gender equality for the period from 2021 to 2030 - Link
- Mrsevic, Zorica, Implementing Quotas: Legal Reform and Enforcement in Serbia and Montenegro, in International IDEA, The Implementation of Quotas: European Experiences, Quota Workshop Report Series (Stockholm: International IDEA, 2005)
- UN Women, Serbia profile Country Fact Sheet | UN Women Data Hub
- Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU Parline Serbia
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Serbia on iKNOW Politics
- Dimitrijević, Z. (2020). Gender-balanced Serbian government: Step towards gender equality or just a PR move? European Western Balkans
- Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (2020). Women in Western Balkans: rights and fights. Southeastern Europe: Political analyses and commentary. Perspectives, 8.
- Cickaric, L. (2017). In/Visibility of women in Serbian politics. Institute of Social Sciences: Belgrade.
- Nacevska, E. & Lokar, S. (2017). The effectiveness of gender quotas in Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia. Teorija in Praksa, 54(2), 394-412.
- Bogdanović, M. (2016). Women in politics: The case of Serbia. Sociologija, 58(1), 113-125. doi:10.2298/SOC1601113B
- Drezgić, R. (2009). Religion, politics and gender in Serbia: The re-traditionalization of gender roles in the context of nation-state formation. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development [UNRISD].
- Antic, M., & Lokar, S. (2006). The Balkans: From total rejection to gradual acceptance of gender quotas, in Dahlerup, D. (ed.) Women, Quotas and Politics, London/New York: Routledge, pp. 138-167.
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