SHARECountry Data
EXPLORE QUOTA DATA
Uruguay (Eastern Republic of Uruguay)
Uruguay (Eastern Republic of Uruguay) 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. 26 of 99 (26%) seats in the Cámara de Representantes / House of Representatives 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: Feb 21, 2023
Single/Lower House
Cámara de Representantes / House of Representatives
| Total seats | 99 |
| Total Women | 26 |
| % Women | 26% |
| Election Year | 2019 |
| 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 2 (2-3) of Law no. 18.476 stipulates, for the elections to be held in 2014, that candidates of both sexes must be represented in every 3 places on electoral lists, either throughout the entire list or in the first 15 places. Where only 2 seats are contested, 1 of the 2 candidates must be a woman. The equitable participation of persons of both sexes in the composition of the Legislative Branch, City Halls, Departmental Boards, Municipalities, Electoral Boards and in the management bodies of political parties is hereby declared to be of general interest. (Parity Law, Article 1)”. |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | Lists that fail to comply with the gender quota requirements shall be rejected by the Electoral Court (Article 3). |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | Women must be represented in every third place on candidate lists, either throughout the entire list or in the first fifteen places (Law nº 18.476, Article 2 [2]). |
| 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 |
Upper House
Cámara de Senadores / Senate
| Total seats | 31 |
| Total Women | 9 |
| % Women | 29% |
| Election Year | 2019 |
| Electoral System | List PR |
| Quota Type | Legislated Candidate Quotas> |
| Election details | IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution | |
| Electoral law | Article 2 (2-3) of the electoral law stipulates, for the elections to be held in 2014, that candidates of both sexes must be represented in every 3 places on electoral lists, either throughout the entire list or in the first 15 places. Where only 2 seats are contested, 1 of the 2 candidates must be a woman. | |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | Lists that fail to comply shall be rejected by the Electoral Court (Law nº 18.476, Article 3). |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | Women must be represented in every third place on candidate lists, either throughout the entire list or in the first fifteen places (Law nº 18.476, Article 2 [2]). |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
- Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution | |
| Electoral law | For elections to departmental legislative bodies, candidates of both sexes must be represented in every 3 places on electoral lists, either throughout the entire list or in the first 15 places. Where only 2 seats are contested, 1 of the 2 candidates must be a woman. However, Article 2 (2-3) limits the application of the quota to the 2015 departmental elections. | |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | Lists that fail to comply with the gender quota requirements shall be rejected by the Electoral Court (Article 3). |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | Women must be represented in every third place on candidate lists, either throughout the entire list or in the first fifteen places (Law nº 18.476, Article 2 [2]). |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official name | Details, Quota provisions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Socialist Party of Uruguay | Partido Socialista del Uruguay [PS] | In the 1980's PS adopted a quota for women. The quota is dependent upon the percentage of women members of the Party in each jurisdiction. (Statutes 2003, Art. 65) |
* 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 current quota law also establishes quotas for internal party elections: among the candidates to parties’ conventions and executive bodies, one out of every three candidates must be a woman. The quota is applicable as of the internal elections in June 2009 and is not subject to temporal limits.
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Constitution of Uruguay (Spanish version)
- Constitution of Uruguay (rev. 2014)(English version)
- Ley no. 18.476, Órganos electivos nacionales y departamentales y de dirección de los partidos políticos, 2009 [Law no. 18.476 on elected bodies (national and departmental) and the management of political parties, 2009], accessed: 24 October 2019;
- Parity law of Uruguay (Spanish version)
OTHER SOURCES:
- Johnson, N., ‘Uruguay – Situación y buenas prácticas de promoción de una mayor participación femenina en la política’ 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, 2008.
- 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.
- Informe diagnóstico Atenea (2017): "Uruguay: una democracia consolidada aun muy lejos de la paridad. Diagnóstico sobre las condiciones para ejercer el derecho a la participación política de las mujeres". Uruguay: Atenea, International IDEA, ONU Mujeres and UNDP.
-
Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU Parline Uruguay
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Uruguay on iKNOW Politics
- Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean: Uruguay (Official Website)
- UN Women. 2014. Ready for the lists, say Uruguayan Women. Fund for Gender Equality.
- Johnson, N. 2003. ‘La Cuota: un mecanismo necesario y efectivo para incrementar la participación de mujeres en cargos políticos relevantes? El caso uruguayo’ in A. Nelida (ed.) Estrategias Políticas de Género, Reformas Institucionales, Identidad y Acción Colectiva, Proyecto UBACYT, Buenos Aires: Instituto de Investigaciones – Facultad de Ciencias Sociales.
- 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.
- Aguirre, R. 2001. ‘La citoyenneté politique des femmes en Uruguay.’ Bérengère Marques-Pereira and Patricio Nolasco (eds.), La représentation politique des femmes en Amérique Latine. Brussels: L'Harmattan. pp. 139-161.
- Inter-Parliamentary Union. 1997a. Men and Women in Politics: Democracy Still in the Making, A World Comparative Study. Geneva: Inter-Parliamentary Union.
- Uruguay Parliament website, http://www.diputados.gub.uy/index.htm