Gender Quotas Database
Gabon
Middle Africa
Single / Lower House
Assemblee nationale / National Assembly
| Total seats | 98 |
| Total women | 25 |
| Percentage of women | 26% |
| Election year | 2023 |
| Electoral system | TRS |
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution |
… The composition of the various bodies of the Transition takes gender into account. (The transition charter, Article 55) |
| Electoral law |
The candidacy quota for women and young people in the elections covered by this law is distributed as follows: -30% women; … (Article 4) The quota set by this law applies to incumbent candidacies presented by any political party or group of political parties in the elections of deputies, senators and members of local councils. (Article 6) |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law |
Within five days following the closing of the submission of lists, the Autonomous and Permanent National Electoral Commission sends its observations to the political parties or groups of political parties on the application of the provisions of this law. Political parties or groups of political parties which have not observed the provisions of this law have 48 hours to comply. (Article 9) For the voting on lists, lists that do not comply with the provisions of this law are declared inadmissible. (Article 10) In the context of single-member ballots, any political party or group of political parties which does not comply with this law incurs the suspension of its participation in the planned elections or the loss of 50% of the public financing of the electoral campaign. (Article 11) |
| 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 |
Upper House
Senat / Senate
| Total seats | 70 |
| Total women | 17 |
| Percentage of women | 24% |
| Election year | 2023 |
| Electoral system | |
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution |
… The composition of the various bodies of the Transition takes gender into account. (The transition charter, Article 55) |
| Electoral law |
The candidacy quota for women and young people in the elections covered by this law is distributed as follows: -30% women; … (Gender Quota Law, Article 4) The quota set by this law applies to incumbent candidacies presented by any political party or group of political parties in the elections of deputies, senators and members of local councils. (Gender Quota Law, Article 6) |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Gender Quota Law |
Within five days following the closing of the submission of lists, the Autonomous and Permanent National Electoral Commission sends its observations to the political parties or groups of political parties on the application of the provisions of this law. Political parties or groups of political parties which have not observed the provisions of this law have 48 hours to comply. (Article 9) For the voting on lists, lists that do not comply with the provisions of this law are declared inadmissible. (Article 10) |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution |
… The composition of the various bodies of the Transition takes gender into account. (The transition charter, Article 55) |
| Electoral law |
The candidacy quota for women and young people in the elections covered by this law is distributed as follows: -30% women; … (Gender Quota Law, Article 4) The quota set by this law applies to incumbent candidacies presented by any political party or group of political parties in the elections of deputies, senators and members of local councils. (Gender Quota Law, Article 6) |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Gender Quota Law |
Within five days following the closing of the submission of lists, the Autonomous and Permanent National Electoral Commission sends its observations to the political parties or groups of political parties on the application of the provisions of this law. Political parties or groups of political parties which have not observed the provisions of this law have 48 hours to comply. (Article 9) For the voting on lists, lists that do not comply with the provisions of this law are declared inadmissible. (Article 10) |
| Rank order/placement rules | Gender Quota Law |
The lists of candidates for local elections guarantee without distinction the alternation of man/woman/youth, in accordance with the quotas set by this law, until the number of candidates is exhausted. (Article 7) |
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
Regarding the participation of women in political life, the delegation (the Gabonese delegation is composed, in particular, of Ms. Mireille Sarah Nzenze, Permanent Representative of Gabon to the United Nations in Geneva; the Director of Economic and Social Citizen Promotion; and several officials from the Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs) indicated in particular that the "Gabon Equality" strategy (the Strategy for the Promotion of Women's Rights and the Reduction of Gender Inequalities) pursued 33 objectives. The "Gabon Equality"(Gabon-Égalité), includes 33 measures which, since October 2020, are being implemented by seven ministerial departments includes the measure of encouraging the participation of young women in political life through a mentoring program and the promotion of a change of mentality among the women themselves. The law imposes a 30% quota for women in political party lists (OHCHR).
Sources
Legal Sources:
- Constitution of Gabon (amended through 2023) - Link
- The transition charter (amended through 2023) - Link
- Electoral Code 07/96 (amended through 2023) - Link
- Political Parties Law (amended through 2012) - Link
- Local Government Law (amended through 2022) - Link
- Gender Quota Law (009/2016) - Link
Other Sources:
Additional reading
- UN Women, Gabon profile, Link to the report
- International IDEA, Women's political participation, Africa barometer (2021) Link to the report
- CEDAW, Réponses de Gabon à la liste de points et de questions concernant le septième rapport périodique (2020) Link to the report
- OECD Development Center Gender Index, Gabon profile (2019) Link to the report
Explore more resources: Africa | Global
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