SHARECountry Data
Liberia (Republic of Liberia) has a Bicameral parliament with legislated quotas for the single/lower house. 8 of 73 (11%) seats in the House of Representatives 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? No
- For the Sub-National Level? No
Are there voluntary quotas...
- Adopted by political parties? No
Is there additional information?...
- Yes
Last updated: Sep 24, 2021
Single/Lower House
House of Representatives
| Total seats | 73 |
| Total Women | 8 |
| % Women | 11% |
| Election Year | 2017 |
| Electoral System | FPTP |
| Quota Type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution | |
| Electoral law | A political party or coalition in its submission to the Commission, of its list of candidates for an election should endeavor to ensure that the governing body and its list of candidates has no less than 30% of its members from each gender. A list of candidates submitted to the Commission for an election should endeavor to have no less than 30% of the candidates on the list from each gender. (The New Elections Law 2014, article 4.5: 1-b, 1-c) |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | N/A | |
| Rank order/placement rules | N/A | |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | Not applicable | 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 |
Additional Information
"Liberia’s upper house saw a 6.7 point drop, bringing women’s representation to just 3.3 per cent or a single female senator, Madam Botoe Kanneh. This marks a 22-year low for Liberia, making it the lowest performing country in the region for women in the upper house of parliament and the world’s 3rd lowest upper chamber, after Yemen’s and Haiti’s" (IPU 2021)
"Twelve Diplomatic Missions in Liberia have frowned on the decision by the House’s Committee on Elections and Referendum to remove the Gender Quota Clause in the proposed new elections law, which forces political parties to reserve 30% leadership position slots for women" (Liberianobserver.com February 2021).
Sources
- National Elections in Liberia 2011, Final Report (The Carter Center)
-
Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU Parline Liberia
-
Inter-Parlamentary Union, (2021). "Women in Parliament in 2020 The Year in Review" (Addtional information retrived from page 5).
-
R. Dopoe (February 9, 2021. "Diplomatic Community Reinforces Push for Gender Quota Law", Liberianobserver.com.
Additional reading
- Liberia Elections Commission, http://www.necliberia.org/