Gender Quotas Database

See data for special areas Taiwan and Kosovo


Congo, Democratic Republic of

Congo, Democratic Republic of

Middle Africa

No legislated or voluntary party quotas.

At a glance

Structure of parliament Bicameral

Are there legislated quotas

For the Single / Lower house? No
For the Upper house? No
For the Sub-national level? No

Are there voluntary quotas?

Adopted by political parties? No
Is there additional information? Yes

Single / Lower House

Assemblee nationale / National Assembly

Upper House

Sénat / Senate

Voluntary Political Party Quotas*

* 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

Considering the lack of enforcement mechanisms and measures to encourage the participation of women in politics, the quota provisions fell short of ensuring equal representation of men and women in the 2011 legislative elections. As a result, women constituted only 12.05 per cent of the total number of candidates and subsequently won only 9 % of the seats in the National Assembly.

Women have the right to equal representation in national, provincial and local institutions. The state shall ensure the implementation of parity between men and women in such institutions. The procedures for the implementation of these rights shall be established by law. (Article 14 of the 2006 Constitution, as amended in 2011).

Each party list is established taking into account the representation of men and women. (Article 13 of the 2006 Electoral Law as amended in 2017).

The electoral law does not provide for any sanctions for non-compliance with the parity principle. ‘The non-compliance with parity between men and women does not entail the rejection of a candidate list’ (Article 13 of the 2006 Electoral Law as amended in 2017).

For Local government: The composition of the bureau of the deliberative body must take into consideration the representation of the woman (Organic Law n. 08/016 of 7 October 2008, Art.20).

For provinces: The composition of the Provincial government must take into account provincial representativeness and women (Law n.08/012 of 31 July 2008 on the fundamental principles related to the free administration of provinces, Art.23)

Sources

Legal Sources:

  • Constitution of DR Congo - French / English
  • Election Laws - Link
  • Political Parties Law - Link
  • Law on Opposition Parties - Link
  • Law on Gender Quota - Link

Other Sources:

  • Electoral Commission - Link
  • DRC: Electoral Reforms and Women's Political Participation (UN Women 2022) - Link
  • Inclusion Practices Implemented by Election Management Bodies in Africa (2021) - Link

Additional reading

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