SHARECountry Data
Republic of The Congo (Brazzaville) (Republic of the Congo) has a Bicameral parliament with legislated quotas for the single/lower house and upper house and at the sub-national level. 17 of 151 (11%) seats in the Assemblee nationale / National Assembly are held by women.
At a glance
Structure of Parliament: Bicameral
Are there legislated quotas...
- For the Single/Lower House? Yes
- For the Upper House? Yes
- For the Sub-National Level? Yes
Are there voluntary quotas...
- Adopted by political parties? No
Is there additional information?...
- Yes
Last updated: Feb 14, 2023
Single/Lower House
Assemblee nationale / National Assembly
| Total seats | 151 |
| Total Women | 17 |
| % Women | 11% |
| Election Year | 2017 |
| Electoral System | TRS |
| Quota Type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution | According to Article 17 of the Constitution of Congo (2015), "The woman has the same rights as the man. The law guarantees parity and assures the promotion as well as the representativeness of women in all political, elective and administrative functions." |
| Electoral law |
|
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | No | None |
| Rank order/placement rules | No | None |
| 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 | 69 |
| Total Women | 13 |
| % Women | 19% |
| Election Year | 2017 |
| Electoral System | |
| Quota Type | Legislated Candidate Quotas> |
| Election details | IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution | Women shall have the same rights as men. The law guarantees and ensures their promotion and representation in all political, elective and administrative offices. (Article 8 (3) of the 2002 Constitution) |
| Electoral law | Candidate lists must take into account the representation of women in a proportion of at least 15% (Article 61 (3) of the Electoral Code as amended in 2007) |
|
| Political funding legislation | The provision of public direct funding to political parties is not related to gender equality among candidates. |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | No data available | |
| Rank order/placement rules | No data available |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
- Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution | In relation to women’s rights and equality in political participation and representation, ‘the law guarantees and ensures their promotion and representation in all political, elective and administrative offices. (Article 8 (3) of the 2002 Constitution) |
| Electoral law | Local government councilors are elected through a list proportional representation system from closed candidate lists. Candidate lists must take into account the representation of women in a proportion of at least 20% (Article 67 (3) of the Electoral Code as amended in 2007) |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | No | None |
| Rank order/placement rules | No | None |
Additional Information
The Electoral Code was amended in 2007 to require that party lists include at least 15 per cent women candidates for elections to the National Assembly and 20 per cent for elections to local government bodies. However, the law does not provide for any sanctions in case of non-compliance with the quota requirements, nor does it specify where women should be placed on the lists.
Therefore, in the 2012 legislative elections only 124 women candidates were nominated out of a total number of 1200 candidates. Some party lists did not contain any women candidates at all. As a result, ten women were elected to the National Assembly, forming only 7 per cent of the total number of deputies.
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Constitution of Republic of Congo, 2015 (English version)
- Loi no 5-007 du 25 mai 2007 modifiant et complétant certaines dispositions de la loi no 9-001 du 10 décembre 2001 portant loi électorale
OTHER SOURCES:
- SIDA (2019): The Republic Democratic of Congo - Country Gender Profile. Stockholm
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Republic of the Congo on iKNOW Politics