SHARECountry Data
EXPLORE QUOTA DATA
Paraguay (Republic of Paraguay)
Paraguay (Republic of Paraguay) has a Bicameral parliament with the use of voluntary party quotas and legislated quotas for the single/lower house and upper house and at the sub-national level. 14 of 80 (18%) seats in the Cámara de Diputados / Chamber of Deputies 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? Yes
Is there additional information?...
- Yes
Last updated: May 3, 2022
Single/Lower House
Cámara de Diputados / Chamber of Deputies
| Total seats | 80 |
| Total Women | 14 |
| % Women | 18% |
| Election Year | 2018 |
| 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 | According to Article 32 [r] [1] of the Electoral Code, 1 in every 5 candidates in primary elections for parties and movements should be a woman (20%). |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | Party lists that do not meet the quota will not be approved by the Electoral Commission (Article 32 [r] [3]). |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | No ranking orders provided. The political party or movement is free to set the order of precedence in the list (Article 32 [r] [2]). |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | No | The state subsidizes political parties no matter how they are composed. 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
Cámara de Senadores / Senate
| Total seats | 45 |
| Total Women | 7 |
| % Women | 16% |
| Election Year | 2018 |
| Electoral System | List PR |
| Quota Type | Legislated Candidate Quotas> |
| Election details | IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law | According to Article 32 [r] [1] of the Electoral Code, 1 in every 5 candidates in primary elections for parties and movements should be a woman. |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | Party lists that do not meet the quota will not be approved by the Electoral Commission (Article 32 [r] [3]). |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | None. The political party or movement is free to set the order of precedence in the list (Article 32 [r] [2]). |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
- Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution | |
| Electoral law | Parties are required to have internal party mechanisms to ensure that 1 in every 5 candidates in the parties and movement primaries list should be a woman (Article 32 [r] [1]). | |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | Party lists that do not meet the quota will not be approved for the election by the Electoral Commission (Article 32 [r] [3]). |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | None. The political party or movement is free to set the order of precedence in the list (Article 32 [r] [2]). |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official name | Details, Quota provisions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Republic Association | Asociación Nacional Republicana/Partido Colorado [ANR] | ANR has a 30 percent quota for women on electoral lists (Party statues 2001, Article 72; Pereira & González 2008, p. 4-5). | |
| Authentic Radical Liberal Party | Partido Liberal Radical Auténtico [PLRA] | The PLRA statute contemplates a female quota of 50%. The lists for all positions, both national, departmental, local and partisan, will be integrated with the same number (50% women and 50% men), located alternately, alternately and consecutively (one by one), from the first or the first incumbent to the last or the last substitute (decided unanimously by the PLRA party 13 of March 2022). | |
| National Union of Ethical Citizens | Partido Unión Nacional de Ciudadanos Éticos [UNACE] | UNACE has a 30 percent quota for women on electoral lists (Party statutes 2002, Article 76; Pereira & González 2008, p. 4-5). | |
| Party for a Country of Solidarity (No longer represented in parliament) | Partido País Solidario [PPS] | PPS has a 30 percent quota for women on electoral lists. There is also a rank-order rule for the first third of places on electoral lists, stipulating that male and female candidates are placed alternately (Party statutes 2002, Article 76; Pereira & González 2008, p. 4-5). |
* 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
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Constitution of Paraguay (rev. 2011)(Spanish version)
- Constitution of Paraguay (rev. 2011) (English version)
- Codigo Electoral Paraguayo Actualizado, Ley 834/96, con las modificaciones de la Ley de Financiamiento (Electoral code Law 834/96, with amendments) (Spanish version)
- Ley no 3.966/10 Orgánica municipal (Municipal Organic Law no. 3.966/10)
OTHER SOURCES:
- European Union Election Observation Mission to Paraguay, ‘Final Report, June 2018’
- Garzón de la Roza, G., Llanos, B., & Roza, V. (2011): "Gender and Political Parties: Far from Parity". Stockholm, Lima & Washington, DC: International IDEA and Inter-American Development Bank.
- International IDEA, The Implementation of Quotas: Latin American Experiences, Quota Report Series no. 2 (Stockholm: International IDEA, 2003)
- Pereira, M. & González, M. (2008): ‘La participación política de las mujeres’ , 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. Stockholm: International IDEA.
Additional reading
- Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean: Paraguay (Official Website)
- Htun, Mala N. 2002. ‘Mujeres y poder político en Latinoamérica,’ in International IDEA, Mujeres en el Parlamento. Más allá de los números, Stockholm: International IDEA, pp. 19-44.
- Htun, Mala N. and Jones, M.P. 2002. ‘Engendering the Right to Participate in Decision-Making: Electoral Quotas and Women's Leadership in Latin America.’ Nikki Craske and Maxine Molyneux(ed.) Gender and the Politics of Rights and Democracy in Latin America. New York: Palgrave. pp. 32-56.
- Peschard, J. 2002. El sistema de cuotas en América Latina. Panorama general, in International IDEA. Mujeres en el Parlamento. Más allá de los números, Stockholm: International IDEA, pp. 173-186.
- Jimenez Polanco, J. 2001. ‘La représentation politique des femmes en Amérique Latine: une analyse comparée’ (Women's political representation in Latin America: a comparative analysis). Bérengère Marques-Pereira and Patricio Nolasco (ed.) La représentation politique des femmes en Amérique Latine(Women's political representation in Latin America). Brussels: L'Harmattan. pp. 27-81.
- Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas. 2001. Women and Power in the Americas: A Report Card. Washington: Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas.
- Htun, Mala N. 1998. Women's Political Participation, Representation and Leadership in Latin America. Issue Brief, Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas.
- Chamber of Deputies website, http://www.diputados.gov.py/ww5//
- Senate website, http://www.senado.gov.py/