SHARECountry Data
Cameroon (Republic of Cameroon) has a Bicameral parliament with the use of voluntary party quotas. 61 of 180 (34%) seats in the Assemblée nationale - National Assembly are held by women.
At a glance
Structure of Parliament: Bicameral
Are there legislated quotas...
- For the Single/Lower House? No
- For the Upper House? No
- For the Sub-National Level? No
Are there voluntary quotas...
- Adopted by political parties? Yes
Is there additional information?...
- No
Last updated: Jun 13, 2022
Single/Lower House
Assemblée nationale - National Assembly
| Total seats | 180 |
| Total Women | 61 |
| % Women | 34% |
| Election Year | 2020 |
| Electoral System | FPTP PBV List PR |
| Quota Type | No legislated |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
Upper House
Sénat - Senate / Senate
| Total seats | 100 |
| Total Women | 26 |
| % Women | 26% |
| Election Year | 2018 |
| Electoral System | Indirectly elected |
| Quota Type | No legislated> |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: No legislated | Electoral law | |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | No data available | |
| Rank order/placement rules | No data available |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official name | Details, Quota provisions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic Front | Front Social Démocrate [SDF] | SDF has adopted a 25 percent quota. |
* 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
Each list shall take into consideration the various sociological components of the constituency concerned. It shall also take into consideration gender aspects. (Electoral law No 2012/001, Section 151:3)
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Loi N° 2012/001 du 19 Avril 2012 Portant Code Electoral, Modifiee et Completee par la Loi N° 2012/017 du 21 Decembre 2012
- Cameroon Constitution (English)
OTHER SOURCES:
- Inter-Parliamentary Union [IPU] - Cameroon Profile
- iKnowPolitics - Gender Quotas in African Countries
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Cameroon on iKNOW Politics
- Mougoué, J. 2019. Gender, Separatist Politics, and Embodied Nationalism in Cameroon. doi:10.3998/mpub.9955202
- Adams, M. 2003. ‘Cameroon’, in A.M. Tripp (ed.) The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Women’s Issues Worldwide: Sub-Saharan Africa, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, pp. 82–107.
- Yoon, M.Y. 2001. ‘Democratization and Women's Legislative Representation in Sub-Saharan Africa’ in Democratization, Vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 169–190.
- Inter-Parliamentary Union. 1997. Towards Partnership Between Men and Women in Politics. Geneva: Inter-Parliamentary Union.
- Inter-Parliamentary Union. 1997. Democracy Still in the Making: A World Comparative Study. Geneva: Inter-Parliamentary Union.
- Cameroon Parliament website