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. 21 of 99 (21%) 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: May 19, 2020
Single/Lower House
Cámara de Representantes / House of Representatives
| Total seats | 99 |
| Total Women | 21 |
| % Women | 21% |
| 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. | |
| 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;
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.
Additional reading
- Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean: Uruguay (Official Website)
- 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, Jacqueline. 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, Rosario. 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