Gender Quotas Database
Costa Rica
Central America
Single / Lower House
Asamblea Legislativa / Legislative Assembly
| Total seats | 57 |
| Total women | 27 |
| Percentage of women | 47% |
| Election year | 2022 |
| 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 |
Articles 2 of the Law 8765 of 2009 establishes that "The political participation of men and women is a human right acknowledged in a democratic, representative, participatory and inclusive society under the principles of equality and nondiscrimination. Participation shall be governed by the principle of parity which implies that all delegations, electoral lists and other entities with an even number of members must be composed of 50% of members from each gender, and in delegations, electoral lists or entities with an odd number of members the difference between the total number of men and women shall not exceed one" Additionally, article 148 establishes that "All official lists of candidates for popular elections and official list of candidates for positions in the administrative and political representation organs shall be prepared in line with the principles of party and gender alternation. The first position on each electoral list of candidates for popular election by province, canton and district shall be determined by the political parties." |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law |
Article 148 establishes that "The Electoral Registry shall not register official lists of candidates for popular elections by province, canton and district of political parties that do not comply with the principle of parity and gender alternation."
|
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | According to Article 2 of the electoral law, two persons of the same sex cannot be subsequently included on the list of candidates. |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | Yes | 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 |
Articles 2 of the Law 8765 of 2009 establishes that "The political participation of men and women is a human right acknowledged in a democratic, representative, participatory and inclusive society under the principles of equality and nondiscrimination. Participation shall be governed by the principle of parity which implies that all delegations, electoral lists and other entities with an even number of members must be composed of 50% of members from each gender, and in delegations, electoral lists or entities with an odd number of members the difference between the total number of men and women shall not exceed one" Additionally, article 148 establishes that "All official lists of candidates for popular elections and official list of candidates for positions in the administrative and political representation organs shall be prepared in line with the principles of party and gender alternation. The first position on each electoral list of candidates for popular election by province, canton and district shall be determined by the political parties." |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law |
Article 148 establishes that "The Electoral Registry shall not register official lists of candidates for popular elections by province, canton and district of political parties that do not comply with the principle of parity and gender alternation." |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | According to Article 2 of the electoral law, two persons of the same sex cannot be subsequently included on the list of candidates. |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| Christian-Social Unity Party | Partido Unidad Socialcristiana (PUSC) |
PUSC alternates men and women candidates on electoral lists (Article 65, party statutes; Jager Contreras 2008, p 15-19). In the integration of all party structures, no more than 60% of its members shall be of the same gender, except for the District Assemblies and the Womens Front. (Article 10, Partido Unidad Social Cristiania Estatuto). The configuration of all candidate lists to elected office shall be held in such a way that no more than 60% of the members are of the same gender. (Article 61, Partido Unidad Social Cristiania Estatuto). |
| National Liberation Party | Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN) |
PLN alternates men and women candidates on electoral lists (Article 85 and 108, party statutes; Jager Contreras 2008, p 15-19).Nominations to be defined by provincial election in National Plenary Assembly, is to respect the representation of at least 40% for each gender. (Article 85, Partido Liberacion Nacional Estatuto). |
* 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 legislative amendment of 2009 stipulating a 50% quota for women in the assembly as well as strict alternation on lists (Electoral Code, Articles 2 and 52) will apply to the 2014 legislative elections. In addition to the electoral gender quotas, the Electoral Law provides that the statutes of the political parties must include provisions for the promotion of gender equality within the party as a whole (Article 52). While the quota rule of 40% was implemented in the 1998 elections, the electoral authorities did not reject lists that did not meet the quota requirement, resulting in criticism from various organizations.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal ruled in 1999 that the quota law should be interpreted in the following way: lists should comprise a minimum of 40% of either sex, and that women should have 40% of electable seats, interpreted as the number of seats the party received in the district in the previous election (Jager Contreras 2008: 5–6; Resolution 1863 of 1999).
Sources
Legal Sources:
Other Sources:
- Parliament of Costa Rica - Link
- Electoral Commission - Link
- Jager Contreras, M. 2008. "Costa Rica: Buenas prácticas pasa la participación de mujeres en la política: más allá de las cuotas" in B. Llanos and K. Sample (eds), Del dicho al hecho: Manual de buenas prácticas para la participación de mujeres en los partidos políticos latinoamericanos. Stockholm: International IDEA.
- Jager Contreras, M. 2015. "Más allá de los Números: Las Mujeres Transforman el Poder Legislativo en América Latina y el Caribe. Estudio del País: Costa Rica" UNDP in collaboration with the Spanish Government.
- 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.
- Organización de los Estados Americanos. 2010. "Informe de la Misión de Observación Electoral de la OEA sobre las Elecciones Generales Celebradas en la República de Costa Rica" [Report of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission on the general elections in the Republic of Costa Rica].
- Partido Movimiento Libertario - Statute
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Costa Rica on iKNOW Politics
- Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean (Official website)
- Bolaños Barquero, A. 2006. "Las Cuotas de Participación Política de la Mujer en Costa Rica, 1996-2005" Revista de Derecho Electoral. No. 1, Primer Semestre, 2006.
-
García, A.I. 2003. ‘Putting the mandate into practice: legal reform in Costa Rica’, in International IDEA The Implementation of Quotas: Latin American Experiences,
Quota Workshop Report Series no. 2, Stockholm: International IDEA, pp. 88–101. - Htun, M. N. & Jones, M. P. 2002. ‘Engendering the Right to Participate in Decision-Making: Electoral Quotas and Women's Leadership in Latin America.’ Nikki Craske and Maxine Molyneux(ed.) Gender and the Politics of Rights and Democracy in Latin America. New York: Palgrave. pp. 32-56.
- Htun, Mala N. 2002. ‘Mujeres y poder político en Latinoamérica,’ in International IDEA, Mujeres en el Parlamento. Más allá de los números, Stockholm: International IDEA, pp. 19-44.
- Olsen de Figueres, K. 2002. ‘El camino hacia la igualdad. Las mujeres costariccenses en el Parlamento.’(The Road to Equality - Women in Parliament in Costa Rica). Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers. Stockholm: International IDEA. pp 147-156.
- Peschard, J. 2002. ‘El sistema de cuotas en América Latina. Panorama general,’ in International IDEA. Mujeres en el Parlamento. Más allá de los números, Stockholm: International IDEA, pp. 173-186.
- Torres, I. 2001. La aplicacin de la cuota mnima de participacin de las mujeres.Ficcin o realidad? Un diagnstico para Costa Rica. San Jos: Fundacin Arias para la Paz y el Proceso Humano.
- Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas. 2001. Women and Power in the Americas: A Report Card. Washington: Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas.
- Chamorro Santamaría, I. 1999. ‘La participación política de las mujeres.’ Revista parlamentaria 7, no. 1. pp. 73-83.
- Zúñiga Quirós, I. 1999. ‘Las mujeres en el quehacer político del Partido Unidad Social Cristiana.’ Revista parlamentaria 7, no. 1. pp. 287-315.
- Camacho, R. 1998. ‘Las cuotas de participación política de las mujeres. ‘Paper presented at the Inter-American Dialogue/WLCA conference ‘La situación de la mujer en Centro América: una evaluación al umbral del siglo XXI,’ Managua, Nicaragua, March 12-13.
- Htun, Mala N. 1998. Women's Political Participation, Representation and Leadership in Latin America. Issue Brief, Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas.
- Camacho Granados, R., Povedano S. L., & Madrigal, E. S. 1997. Las cuotas mínimas de participación de las mujeres: Un mecanismo de acción afirmativa(Minimal quotas for women's participation: A mechanism of affirmative action). San José: Centro Nacional para el Desarrollo de la Mujer y la Familia.
- Inter-Parliamentary Union. 1997a. Men and Women in Politics: Democracy Still in the Making, A World Comparative Study. Geneva: Inter-Parliamentary Union.
- Matland, R. E., & Michelle M. T. 1997. ‘Electoral System Effects on Women's Representation: Theoretical Arguments and Evidence from Costa Rica.’ Comparative Political Studies 30, no. 2. pp. 186-210.
- Costa Rican Parliament website, http://www.asamblea.go.cr/
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