SHARECountry Data
Nicaragua (Republic of Nicaragua) 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. 43 of 91 (47%) seats in the Asamblea Nacional / National Assembly 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: Oct 20, 2021
Single/Lower House
Asamblea Nacional / National Assembly
| Total seats | 91 |
| Total Women | 43 |
| % Women | 47% |
| Election Year | 2016 |
| 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 | ”In the case of officials elected by popular vote on the basis of closed lists proposed by political parties in accordance with the principle of proportional representation, deputies in the National Assembly, deputies in the Central-American Parliament, Municipal Councilors, and Regional Councilors, the list of candidates must contain fifty percent of male and fifty percent of female candidates, presented in a fair and alternating order; the same relation between the sexes must be maintained between the mandate holders and their alternates, where applicable (Constitution Article 131)”. |
| Electoral law | Under Article 82 (4) of the 2000 Electoral Law (No. 331, as amended by Law No.790/2012), political parties or the coalition of political parties which participate in the National Assembly elections must include in their electoral lists 50% men and 50% women candidates. |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | No | None |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | Lists of candidates shall be arranged on the basis of alternation between male and female candidates under a so-called zipper system (Article 82 (4)). |
| 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 | Political parties or the coalition of political parties which participate in the elections of municipal councils must include in their electoral lists 50% men and 50% women candidates (Article 82 (4)). |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | No | None |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | List of candidates shall be arranged on the basis of alternation between male and female candidates under a so-called zipper system (Article 82 (4)). |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official name | Details, Quota provisions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandinista Front for National Liberation | Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional [FSLN] | FSLN has a 30 percent quota for women (Party statutes, Article 106; Samqui 2008, p. 8). PLC has a combined 40 percent quota for women and youth on electoral lists (Party statutes, Article 76; Samqui 2008, p. 8). FSLN has a 30 percent quota for women (Party statutes, Article 106; Samqui 2008, p. 8). | |
| Liberal and constitutionalist party | Partido Liberal Constitutcionalista [PLC] | PLC has a combined 40 percent quota for women and youth on electoral lists (Party statutes, Article 76; Samqui 2008, p. 8). PLC has a combined 40 percent quota for women and youth on electoral lists (Party statutes, Article 76; Samqui 2008, p. 8). | |
| Sandinista Renovation Movement | Alianza del Movimiento Renovador Sandinista [MRS] | Candidate lists must consist of at least 40 percent women and men, respectively (Party statutes, Article 7; Samqui 2008, p. 8). Candidate lists must consist of at least 40 percent women and men, respectively (Party statutes, Article 7; Samqui 2008, p. 8). |
* 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
Previously, the 2008 electoral law ensured gender equality in the exercise of civil and political rights at all levels, including the promotion of the measures necessary to increase women’s participation in the electoral processes at all levels.
Under the new law, political parties and civil society organizations shall seek the equal participation of women and men in decision-making positions and procedures, by ensuring that their statutes guarantee effective democratic participation in the election procedures of their authorities and candidates. This does not invalidate the academic, intellectual and ethical requirements, or the capacities and experience required to be candidates or applicants for these positions (Articles 8–12).
The percentage of women is calculated from the current number of seats occupied in the parliament. The National Assembly has 92 statutory seats.
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Ley no 331, Ley Electoral, 2000 [Law no. 33, Electoral Law, 2000], accessed 03 April 2014;
- Ley no 790, Ley de Reforma a la Ley no 331 ‘Ley Electoral’, 2012 [Law No. 790, Law reforming Law no. 331 the Electoral Code, 2012], accessed 03 April 2014;
- Nicaragua's Constitution of 1987 with Amendments through 2014
OTHER SOURCES:
- Htun, M. N., Participación, Representación y Liderazgo Político de la Mujer en América Latina [Women’s political participation, representation and leadership in Latin America], Issue Brief (Washington, DC: Women’s Leadership Conference of the Americas, 1998), accessed 24 April 2018;
- Samqui, E. M., ‘Participación política de la mujeres: ¿caminamos o vamos dando traspiés?’ [Political participation of women: we walked or stumbled?], in B. Llanos and K. Sample (eds), Del dicho al hecho: manual de buenas practicas para la participación de mujeres en los partidos políticos latinoamericanos [From words to action: best practices for women’s participation in latin american political parties]] (Stockholm: International IDEA, 2008), accessed 24 April 2018
Additional reading
- Htun, Mala N. 1998. Women's Political Participation, Representation and Leadership in Latin America. Issue Brief, Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas.
- Nicaraguan Parliament website, http://www.asamblea.gob.ni/