SHARECountry Data
Serbia (Republic of Serbia) has a Unicameral parliament with legislated quotas for the single/lower house and at the sub-national level. 87 of 250 (35%) seats in the Narodna skupstina / 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? No
Is there additional information?...
- Yes
Last updated: Jan 23, 2023
Single/Lower House
Narodna skupstina / National Assembly
| Total seats | 250 |
| Total Women | 87 |
| % Women | 35% |
| Election Year | 2022 |
| 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 | The Constitution of the Republic of Serbia states that ‘In the National Assembly, equality and representation of different genders and members of national minorities shall be provided, in accordance with Law’ (Article 100). |
| Electoral law | There must be at least 40% of members of the underrepresented gender on the electoral list (Law on the election of members of parliament, Art. 73, Amended in 2020). |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | The Republic Electoral Commission shall reject, by its decision, to proclaim the electoral list if a person nominated as an MP candidate does not have the right to vote, or is listed as an MP candidate on a previously proclaimed electoral list, or is a leader of a previously proclaimed electoral list, if it is incompliant with the legal rules on gender representation on the electoral list, and if the name of the submitter of the electoral list and the name of the electoral list are not determined in accordance with the law (Law on the election of members of parliament, Art. 77, Amended in 2020). |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | Among every five candidates in the list according to their order (the first 25 five places, the next five places, and so on until the end) there must be three members of one and two members of the other gender (Law on the election of members of parliament, Art. 73, Amended in 2020). |
| 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 | There must be at least 40% of members of the underrepresented gender on the electoral list (Law on local elections, Art. 41, amended in 2020). |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | ||
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | Among every five candidates in the list according to their order (the first five places, the next five places, and so on until the end) there must be three members of one and two members of the other gender (Law on local elections, Art. 41, amended in 2020). |
Additional Information
In 2004, amendments to the law of parliamentary elections were adopted, including a gender quota at the national and sub-national levels. The law specified that lists of candidates should include at least 30 per cent of the under-represented gender, and that for every four candidates at least one should be of the under-represented gender (International IDEA 2004: 48–49). Following the 2011 amendments to the Law on Elections at both the national and sub-national levels, the law was amended so that for every three candidates at least one should be of the under-represented gender. Furthermore, the 2011 amendments introduced closed lists, meaning that members of parliament should be extracted from the list of candidates in the same order as they appear on the lists.
General elections were planned for April 2020. However, they have been postponed due to the coronavirus situation.
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Constitution of Serbia (rev. 2006) (English version)
- Law on the Elections of Representatives (rev. 2011)
- Law on Local Elections, no. 129/2007 (rev. 2011)
OTHER SOURCES:
- Mrsevic, Zorica, Implementing Quotas: Legal Reform and Enforcement in Serbia and Montenegro, in International IDEA, The Implementation of Quotas: European Experiences, Quota Workshop Report Series (Stockholm: International IDEA, 2005)
- UN Women, Serbia profile Country Fact Sheet | UN Women Data Hub
-
Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU Parline Serbia
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Serbia on iKNOW Politics
- Dimitrijević, Z. (2020). Gender-balanced Serbian government: Step towards gender equality or just a PR move? European Western Balkans
- Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (2020). Women in Western Balkans: rights and fights. Southeastern Europe: Political analyses and commentary. Perspectives, 8.
- Nacevska, E. & Lokar, S. (2017). The effectiveness of gender quotas in Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia. Teorija in Praksa, 54(2), 394-412.
- Cickaric, L. (2017). In/Visibility of women in Serbian politics. Institute of Social Sciences: Belgrade.
- Bogdanović, M. (2016). Women in politics: The case of Serbia. Sociologija, 58(1), 113-125. doi:10.2298/SOC1601113B
- Drezgić, R. (2009). Religion, politics and gender in Serbia: The re-traditionalization of gender roles in the context of nation-state formation. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development [UNRISD].
- Antic, M., & 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.