SHARECountry Data
Armenia (Republic of Armenia) has a Unicameral parliament with legislated quotas for the single/lower house and at the sub-national level. 38 of 107 (36%) seats in the Azgayin Zhoghov / 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: Nov 9, 2022
Single/Lower House
Azgayin Zhoghov / National Assembly
| Total seats | 107 |
| Total Women | 38 |
| % Women | 36% |
| 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 | “In the first part of the national electoral list of a political party, alliance of political parties and each of the political parties included in the alliance, the number of representatives of each sex, starting from the 1st place on the list, must not exceed 70 per cent in each integer group of 3 (1-3, 1-6, 1-9 and subsequently up to the end of the list). The first part of the national electoral list of a political party (alliance of political parties) shall include no less than 80 and no more than 300 candidates. The first part of the national electoral list of a political party (alliance of political parties) may include persons that are not members of that political party (any of member political parties to the alliance) the number of which may not exceed 30 per cent of the total number of the candidates included in the first part of the national electoral list.” (Electoral Code from 2018, Art. 83.4) |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | Art. 86.2:The Central Electoral Commission shall reject the registration of the electoral list of a political party (alliance of political parties), where: 3) the national electoral list or any district electoral list does not comply with the requirements prescribed by Article 83 of this Code. (Electoral Code from 2018, Art. 86.2) |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | In the electoral list of a political party (alliance of political parties) and each of the political parties included in the alliance, the number of representatives of each sex, starting from the 1st place on the list, must not exceed 70 per cent in each integer group of 3 (1-3, 1-6, 1-9 and subsequently up to the end of the list). (Electoral Code of 2018, Article 130.2) |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | Yes | If the less-represented gender makes up less than 20% of the positions on the party's executive board, public funding is reduced by 20%. If the figure is 20-40%, public funding is reduced by 10%. If the figure is at least 40%, there is no reduction in public funding. See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
| Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? | Yes, funds earmarked for gender activities Other | 20% of public funding must be spent on including women, youth, persons with disabilities and ethnic minorities in the activities of the party. 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 | The number of representatives of each sex must not exceed 70 per cent in the district electoral list of a political party (alliance of political parties) running in elections (Electoral Code from 2018, Art. 83.10). |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Yes | Art. 86.2:The Central Electoral Commission shall reject the registration of the electoral list of a political party (alliance of political parties), where: 3) the national electoral list or any district electoral list does not comply with the requirements prescribed by Article 83 of this Code. (Electoral Code from 2018, Art. 86.2) |
| Rank order/placement rules | No data available |
Additional Information
The first quota legislation was adopted in 1999 and required that political party lists of candidates for the proportional representation election contain no less than 5 per cent female candidates. In the 2003 elections, seven women were elected (5.3 per cent), but one was designated as a cabinet minister, leaving six women in parliament (3.8 per cent). For the 2007 parliamentary elections, the required gender quota provision was increased to 15 per cent but none of the five women who contested seats in the first-past-the-post system were elected, while 12 women were elected under the proportional representation system. The current quota system was introduced in 2011 and was applied to the 2012 parliamentary elections, introducing the improved ranking order requirement and thus helping to position women candidates evenly across candidate lists.
The statutory number decreased from 131 to 101 in accordance with the Constitutional amendments were adopted in a referendum in December 2015 and a new electoral code came into force in July 2016. Up to four minority representatives may be elected.
The gender quota plans to be changed in 2021 to guarantee that, at least, 1 in 3 (33%) are women.
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Electoral Code of Armenia, 2018 (English version)
OTHER SOURCES:
- Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, ‘Republic of Armenia, Parliamentary Elections, 6 May 2012’, Election Observation Mission Final Report
- Armenia's New Electoral Code: Part III. Quotas for Women and Ethnic Minorities. (EVN Report).
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Armenia on iKNOW Politics
- Asian Development Bank (2019).Armenia Country Gender Assessment
- UNDP (Ongoing project 2021)."Women in Politics Armenia"
- Inter-Parliamentary Union. 1997. Men and Women in Politics: Democracy Still in the Making, A World Comparative Study. Geneva: Inter-Parliamentary Union
- Armenian Parliament website, http://www.parliament.am