SHARECountry Data
Serbia (Republic of Serbia) has a Unicameral parliament with legislated quotas for the single/lower house and at the sub-national level. 98 of 250 (39%) 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: Mar 2, 2021
Single/Lower House
Narodna skupstina / National Assembly
| Total seats | 250 |
| Total Women | 98 |
| % Women | 39% |
| 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 | 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 | The candidate lists of political parties must include at least 30% of candidates of each sex. ‘For every three candidates on the electoral list there shall be at least one candidate of the under-represented sex on the list (first group of three places, second group of three places and so on until the end of the list)’(Article 40a, Law on the Election of Members of the Parliament, as amended by Law 36/2011). |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | ‘If an electoral list should not meet the conditions referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, it shall be deemed incomplete for proclamation, and the submitter of the list shall be called to remedy the deficiencies of the list, in accordance with this law. If the submitter of the list does not remedy the deficiencies referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article, the Republic Electoral Commission shall refuse to proclaim the electoral list, in accordance with this law’ (Law on the Elections of Representatives, Article 40a)’. |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | According to the Law on the Elections of Representatives, Article 40a, paragraph 1, as amended by Law No.36/11, Article 8, for every 3 candidates on the electoral list (first group of 3 places, second group of 3 places and so on until the end of the list) there shall be at least 1 candidate of the under-represented sex on the list. |
| 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 | Article 20 (3) of the Law on Local Elections, as amended by Law No. 54/2011, provides that ‘the electoral list shall include, among the group of three candidates in line with order on the list (first three places in the list, second three places and so on until the end of list) at least one candidate belonging to the less-represented gender.’ |
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| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | ‘If the electoral list is not in compliance with the requirements of paragraph 3 of this Article, the electoral list shall be considered to be deficient for proclamation and the submitter of the said list shall be called to remove such deficiencies in accordance with this Law. If the submitter of the list fails to eliminate the shortcomings from paragraph 4 of this Article, the Election Commission shall deny the proclamation of the electoral list, in accordance with this Law’.(Law on Local Elections, Article 20 (4–5)). |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | According to the Electoral Law on Local Elections, Article 20, para. 3, as amended by the Law No.54/11, Article 5, for every three candidates on the electoral list (first group of three places, second group of three places and so on until the end of the list) there shall be at least one candidate of the under-represented sex on the list. |
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: https://eca.unwomen.org/en/where-we-are/serbia
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Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU Parline Serbia
Additional reading
- Elena NACEVSKA, Sonja LOKAR (2017) "THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GENDER QUOTAS IN MACEDONIA, SERBIA AND CROATIA". TEORIJA IN PRAKSA let. 54, 2/2017
- Antic, M.G and 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.