SHARECountry Data
North Macedonia, Republic of (North Macedonia, Republic of) has a Unicameral parliament with the use of voluntary party quotas and legislated quotas for the single/lower house and at the sub-national level. 50 of 120 (42%) seats in the Sobranie / Assembly of the Republic are held by women.
At a glance
Structure of Parliament: Unicameral
Are there legislated quotas...
- For the Single/Lower House? Yes
- For the Sub-National Level? Yes
Are there voluntary quotas...
- Adopted by political parties? Yes
Is there additional information?...
- Yes
Last updated: Sep 13, 2022
Single/Lower House
Sobranie / Assembly of the Republic
| Total seats | 120 |
| Total Women | 50 |
| % Women | 42% |
| Election Year | 2020 |
| Electoral System | List PR |
| Quota Type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution | |
| Electoral law | Article 64 of the Electoral Code, in all lists of candidates for Members of Parliament, submitted for parliamentary elections, at least 40% of the candidates must belong to the less represented gender. These candidates must be equally distributed throughout the list - on every three positions on the list, one must belong to the less represented gender, plus at least one additional position reserved for the less represented gender on every ten positions on candidates' list. (Amendments of Electoral Code 2015, 44) |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | If a political party fails to meet the quota requirement, the list shall be rejected" (Electoral Code, Article 67 [1-4]). |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | ‘In every three places [on candidate lists] at least one will be reserved for the less represented gender’ (Article 64 (5)). |
| 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 |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
- Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution | |
| Electoral law | "In the submitted list of candidate [...] for Member of Council of the municipality and the City of Skopje [...] in every three places at least one will be reserved for the less represented gender" (Electoral Code, Article 64 [5]). |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | "If a political party fails to meet the quota requirement, the list shall be rejected "(Electoral Code, Article 67 [1-4]). |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | ‘In every three places [on candidate lists] at least one will be reserved for the less represented sex’ (Article 64 (5)). |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official name | Details, Quota provisions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic Union of Macedonia | Socijaldemokratski Sojuz na Makedonija [SDSM] | SDSM has a 30 percent quota for both genders. | |
| Alliance for Albanians | Aleanca për Shqiptarët [AA] | 'Albanian Alliance is committed to emancipation and full gender equality, and therefore in all party bodies for female decision-making is represented by at least 40%.' (Article 15, Party Statute). |
* 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
Before making quotas mandatory, the Social Democratic Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, and the Liberal Party practiced gender quotas for candidate lists (Dimitrevska 2005: 45). In the 2011 elections, 34 women were elected. However, seven of the elected candidates declined their parliamentary mandate and were therefore replaced by ‘next-in-line’ candidates from the same party, raising the actual number of female parliamentarians to 38. (IPU Parline , 2011).
The Electoral Code (rev. 2017) includes in its article 21 "the principle of adequate and equitable and gender representation in the election management bodies" by the representation of, at least, a 30% of each gender for election management bodies.
General elections were planned for April 2020. However, due to the coronavirus situation, they have been postponed .
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- North Macedonia Electoral Code Updates September 2021
- Amendments of Electoral Code 2015
- Constitution of North Macedonia (rev. 2019) (English version)
OTHER SOURCES:
- Dimitrevska, D., ‘Quotas: The Case of Macedonia’, in J. Ballington and F. Binda (eds), The Implementation of Quotas: European Experiences, Quotas Report Series no. 4 (Stockholm: International IDEA, 2005)
-
Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU Parline North Macedonia
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on North Macedonia on iKNOW Politics
- Government of the Republic of Macedoni, http://vlada.mk/
- Antic, M.G & Lokar, S. 2006. 'The Balkans: from total rejection to gradual acceptance of gender quotas', in Dahlerup, D. (ed.) Women, Quotas and Politics, London/New York: Routledge, pp. 138-167.
- Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation. 2002. ‘Macedonia’. Implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW): A Compilation of NGO Report from Balkan Countries. pp.174-203.
- Stability Pact Gender Task Force (SPGTF). 2002. ‘Building National Gender Equality Mechanisms in South East Europe: Women's Use of the State’.
- Woodward, A. 2001. ‘Women Are Doing It: Building a Gender Balanced Democracy Using Sticks, Carrots and Kisses’. Stability Pact Gender Task Force Regional Meeting. Slovenia (SPGTF).
- Macedonian Parliament website, https://www.sobranie.mk