Gender Quotas Database
Honduras
Central America
Single / Lower House
Congreso Nacional / National Congress
| Total seats | 128 |
| Total women | 35 |
| Percentage of women | 27% |
| Election year | 2021 |
| 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 |
PARITY PRINCIPLE. The State guarantees, under the principles of equality and non-discrimination, the equal political participation of men and women, and recognizes it as a human right that must be respected in a democratic, representative, participatory and inclusive society. This principle must be applied to popularly elected positions and party leadership. (Article 72) MECHANISMS FOR APPLICATION OF PARITY. To make the principle of parity effective, all lists for all elected positions, at all elective levels Presidential Formula with its appointees, List of Deputies to the National Congress on the list of owners, List of Deputies to the Central American Parliament and Corporations Municipal authorities in relation to the position of Mayor and Councillors, as well as political party authorities, must be made up of fifty percent (50%) women and fifty percent (50%) men. (Article 74) CONDITIONS OF ALLIANCES. The conditions of total or partial alliances between political parties must be agreed in writing, indicating the type of alliance, the name under which the alliance will act, its emblem, ideology, political action plan and government program at the presidential or presidential level. municipal in its case, deputies to the National Congress, deputies to the Parlacen, which must be respected by the parties that are members of the alliance; and when appropriate, their commitment to respect the principles of national integration, the form of distribution of candidates for popularly elected positions, respecting gender parity and alternation in their application, the form of distribution of State financing, determining the percentage that will correspond to each political party, as well as the other obligations established in the Law on Financing, Transparency and Supervision of Political Parties and Candidates. (Article 146) |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law |
2) Lists of citizens proposed as candidates for positions of authority at the national, departmental and municipal levels, as well as conventional or delegates, in at least fourteen (14) departments and two hundred (200) municipalities of the republic, indicating names and surnames. , national identification document (DNI) number, recent photograph when applicable and position for which they are applying; must meet the eligibility conditions determined by its Statutes. Parity and alternation in the political participation of women and men must be strictly applied on the payrolls and if they do not meet these requirements, they will not be registered. Parity and alternation must be observed, also in second-degree elections, and if they are not met, they will not be recognized as authorities. (Article 169) |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law |
MECHANISMS FOR APPLICATION OF PARITY. … In the lists of Deputies to the National Congress and the Central American Parliament, parity is applicable to both the list of owners and substitutes and in the event that it is odd for Deputies to the National Congress, the difference in the total number of men and women should not be greater than one. (Article 74) ALTERNATION. The lists of candidates presented to the National Electoral Council (CNE) must use the mechanism of alternation by gender (woman-man or man-woman) in such a way that two (2) people of the same sex cannot be consecutively on the list. This mechanism must be applied to popularly elected positions at the presidential elective level with their appointees, at the elective level of the National Congress on the list of owners and the municipal elective level in relation to the position of Mayor and Councilor; ... The alternation is excepted, preserving parity, in the lists of candidates for substitute deputies. (Article 75) |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | Yes |
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES. … Political parties, within six (6) months following the beginning of each period of government of their party authority, are obliged to update their gender and equal opportunities policy and request its approval and registration from the National Electoral Council (CNE). Once approved and registered, compliance is mandatory. … Political parties that do not submit the application for approval and registration within the indicated period or, having registered it, do not comply with it, will be sanctioned with a fine equivalent to five percent (5%) of the political debt that corresponds to them. (Electoral Law, Article 73) See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
| Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? | Yes, funds earmarked for gender activities |
FINANCING TO PROMOTE WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP. Political Parties have the right to receive public financing to promote women's leadership. The amount of this financing must be equivalent to fifteen percent (15%) of the Political Debt that each Political Party with representation in the National Congress had obtained in the last general elections. (Electoral Law, Article 163) 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 |
PARITY PRINCIPLE. The State guarantees, under the principles of equality and non-discrimination, the equal political participation of men and women, and recognizes it as a human right that must be respected in a democratic, representative, participatory and inclusive society. This principle must be applied to popularly elected positions and party leadership. (Article 72) MECHANISMS FOR APPLICATION OF PARITY. To make the principle of parity effective, all lists for all elected positions, at all elective levels Presidential Formula with its appointees, List of Deputies to the National Congress on the list of owners, List of Deputies to the Central American Parliament and Corporations Municipal authorities in relation to the position of Mayor and Councillors, as well as political party authorities, must be made up of fifty percent (50%) women and fifty percent (50%) men. (Article 74) CONDITIONS OF ALLIANCES. The conditions of total or partial alliances between political parties must be agreed in writing, indicating the type of alliance, the name under which the alliance will act, its emblem, ideology, political action plan and government program at the presidential or presidential level. municipal in its case, deputies to the National Congress, deputies to the Parlacen, which must be respected by the parties that are members of the alliance; and when appropriate, their commitment to respect the principles of national integration, the form of distribution of candidates for popularly elected positions, respecting gender parity and alternation in their application, the form of distribution of State financing, determining the percentage that will correspond to each political party, as well as the other obligations established in the Law on Financing, Transparency and Supervision of Political Parties and Candidates. (Article 146) |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law |
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES. … Political parties, within six (6) months following the beginning of each period of government of their party authority, are obliged to update their gender and equal opportunities policy and request its approval and registration from the National Electoral Council (CNE). Once approved and registered, compliance is mandatory. … Political parties that do not submit the application for approval and registration within the indicated period or, having registered it, do not comply with it, will be sanctioned with a fine equivalent to five percent (5%) of the political debt that corresponds to them. (Article 73) 2) Lists of citizens proposed as candidates for positions of authority at the national, departmental and municipal levels, as well as conventional or delegates, in at least fourteen (14) departments and two hundred (200) municipalities of the republic, indicating names and surnames. , national identification document (DNI) number, recent photograph when applicable and position for which they are applying; must meet the eligibility conditions determined by its Statutes. Parity and alternation in the political participation of women and men must be strictly applied on the payrolls and if they do not meet these requirements, they will not be registered. Parity and alternation must be observed, also in second-degree elections, and if they are not met, they will not be recognized as authorities. (Article 169) |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law |
ALTERNATION. The lists of candidates presented to the National Electoral Council (CNE) must use the mechanism of alternation by gender (woman-man or man-woman) in such a way that two (2) people of the same sex cannot be consecutively on the list. This mechanism must be applied to popularly elected positions at the presidential elective level with their appointees, at the elective level of the National Congress on the list of owners and the municipal elective level in relation to the position of Mayor and Councilor; ... The alternation is excepted, preserving parity, in the lists of candidates for substitute deputies. (Article 75) |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| Christian Democratic Party of Honduras | Partido Democrata Cristiano de Honduras (PDCH) |
"To achieve the effective participation of the Christian Democrat woman, an obligation is established parity basis applicable to Party leadership positions. This provision is also applicable for the selection of candidates for popularly elected positions at the levels of Proprietary and Alternate Deputies to the National Congress and the Central American Parliament, Mayors, Vice Mayors and Regidores. In the application of this provision, the alternation mechanism of women and men, in a 50% ratio for each, in the integration of the formulas and lists of candidates at all levels electives" (Article 165). |
| Democratic Unification Party | Partido Unificación Democrática (PUD) |
"For the integration of the lists to positions of party leadership, the internal movements will incorporate at least 50% of the candidacies of women." (Article 105). |
| Liberty and Refoundation | Libertad y Refundación (LIBRE) |
"It is established that the participation of women will not be less than 50% in management responsibilities and nomination of popularly elected positions" (Article 76). |
| National Party of Honduras | Partido Nacional de Honduras (PNH) |
"Candidates lists must comply with the basis of 50% participation of women in party leadership positions" (Article 45[12]). |
* 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
A 30% quota for women was first adopted in 2000. The quota was intended to regulate the actual distribution of seats and to be increased until a 50–50 balance between men and women was reached. In 2001, the first national election was held with this new law, but the percentage of women in the legislature did not increase.
In light of the general elections scheduled for November 2013, the Electoral Law was amended, providing for a 40% quota for women in party structures and candidate lists for presidential and legislative elections, elections to the Central American Parliament, municipalities and governorates. In multi-member constituencies or districts with only one seat to be filled, if the principal candidate is a man, the alternate must be a woman and vice versa. Furthermore, from 2013, political parties shall be granted special public funding which must be used exclusively for capacity building and promotion of women’s political participation.
For the 2016 primaries and for the general elections to be held after this date, the quota will be increased to 50% for each gender.
Although the principle of parity established in the reform of the electoral law was in place for the 2017 election, the Tribunal Supremo Electoral regulation (2016-3) which provides the details of the mechanisms for implementing the principle of parity, actually hinders real alternation in the lists for candidates to Congress, contradicting the Election Law. The regulation establishes that alternation on the lists for the National Congress elections is only mandatory from the third, fourth or fifth position on the list onwards, depending on how many positions are to be elected (EU EOM 2017).
Sources
Legal Sources:
- Constitution of Honduras - Link
- Election Law - Link
- Regulations for Registration of Political Parties - Link
- General Laws on Gender Equality - Link
Other Sources:
- Parliament of Honduras - Link
- Electoral Commission - Link
- Tribunal Supremo Electoral, Fortaleciendo el Sistema Democrático Hondureño, Equidad de Género (Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Strengthening the Honduran Democratic System, Gender Equality] (Official website)
- EU EOM Honduras Final Report General Elections 2017
- 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.
Additional reading
- First National Plan for Equal Opportunities 2002 – 2007 (Spanish).
- Regulation on the Application of the Principle of Parity and the Mechanisms of Alternation in the Political Participation between Women and Men in Electoral Processes (Spanish) .
- See the latest updates on Honduras on iKNOW Politics
- Freidenberg, F. 2019. Women’s Political Representation in Honduras: A Comparative Perspective on Party Resistance and Inclusive Reform Proposals. The Carter Center.
- Oxfam. 2008. Women's political participation in Honduras. Programme Insights: Advocacy and National Elections.
- Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean: Honduras (Official Website)
- Honduras Parliament website, http://congresonacional.hn/
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