SHARECountry Data
El Salvador (Republic of El Salvador) 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. 23 of 84 (27%) seats in the Asamblea legislativa / Legislative 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: Jan 25, 2023
Single/Lower House
Asamblea legislativa / Legislative Assembly
| Total seats | 84 |
| Total Women | 23 |
| % Women | 27% |
| Election Year | 2021 |
| 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 38 of the Law on Political Parties (2013) states that, political parties must include at least 30% women candidates in their candidate lists for elections to the Legislative Assembly. |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Law on Political Parties | The political party that incurs in any of the serious infractions, will be sanctioned with a fine of fifteen to fifty-five monthly minimum wages in force for the commerce and services sector, and must also correct the infraction in a period of no more than fifteen days(Articles 71 (e) and 73). |
| Rank order/placement rules | Law on Political Parties | None |
| 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 must include in their candidate lists for the municipal councils at least 30% women candidates (Law on Political Parties, Article 37).
|
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Law on Political Parties | Political parties that do not comply with the gender quota provisions will be fined an amount equal to 15 to 55 basic salaries and will have 15 days to correct their list according to what the law stipulates (Articles 71 (e) and 73). |
| Rank order/placement rules | Law on Political Parties | None |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official name | Details, Quota provisions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Liberation Front Farabundo Mart | Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional [FMLN] | FMLN has a 35 percent quota for women (party statutes of 1996, article 9). |
* 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
The Law on Political Parties (Article 37) also states that political parties must include at least 30 per cent women on their lists of candidates for the elections for the Central American Parliament.
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Constitution of El Salvador (rev. 2009) (Spanish version)
- Constitution of El Salvador (rev. 2014) (English version)
- Decreto no 413, Código Electoral [Decree no. 413, Electoral Code];
- Decreto no 307, Ley de Partidos Políticos [Decree no. 307, Law on Political Parties];
OTHER SOURCES:
- Garzón de la Roza, G., Llanos, B. and Roza, V., Gender and Political Parties: Far from Parity (Stockholm, Lima and Washington, DC: International IDEA and Inter-American Development Bank, 2011),
- Llanos, B (2019): “Surcando olas y contra-olas. Una mirada paritaria a los derechos políticos de las mujeres en América Latina”. Atenea, International IDEA, ONU Mujeres, UNDP.
- Herrera, M (2015): "Más allá de los Números: Las Mujeres Transforman el Poder Legislativo en América Latina y el Caribe. Estudio del País:El Salvador". UNDP in collaboration with the Spanish Government.
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on El Salvador on iKNOW Politics
- Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean: El Salvador (Official Website)
- Htun, Mala N. 2002. Women in Political Power in Latin America. Manuscript.
- Murcia, A., Rosekrans, K., Paniagua, M.A., and Quezada, A.Y. 1999. El Salvador Report: Transition and Participation. http://www.socialwatch.org/node/10650
- Htun, Mala N. 1998. Women's Political Participation, Representation and Leadership in Latin America. Issue Brief, Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas.
- Asociación Internacional para el Desarrollo Económico y Social and CIDEP. 1997. ‘El Salvador: The poor ... are they saved?’, http://www.socialwatch.org/node/10589
- El Salvador Parliament website, http://www.asamblea.gob.sv/