SHARECountry Data
Cabo Verde (Republic of Cabo Verde) has a Unicameral parliament with legislated quotas for the single/lower house and at the sub-national level. 28 of 72 (39%) seats in the Assembleia Nacional (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: Jan 3, 2022
Single/Lower House
Assembleia Nacional (National Assembly)
| Total seats | 72 |
| Total Women | 28 |
| % Women | 39% |
| 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 | Electoral law | ‘The lists proposed for (national) elections shall contain a balanced representation of both sexes’(Article 415 (1) of Electoral Law no. 92/V/99, as amended by Law no. 56 /VII/2010). 'Parity in political representation is to be understood, for the purposes of application of this law, as the minimum representation of 40% of each of the sexes in the candidacy lists for the collegiate bodies of power, namely, the National Assembly, City Council, Municipal Assembly and other supra- or sub-municipal bodies' (Article 4 (1) of Law No.68/IX/2019 establishing the Equality between Men and Women).
|
| Political funding legislation | ||
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | Article 415 (2) states that ‘public funding will be awarded only to those political parties or coalitions whose lists presented for national elections, if elected, contain at least 25 per cent women candidates’. |
| Rank order/placement rules | No | None |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | Yes | 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 | Electoral law | Article 431 (1) of the electoral law provides for the principle of balanced representation of both sexes in the lists submitted for the election of municipal councils. 'Parity in political representation is to be understood, for the purposes of application of this law, as the minimum representation of 40% of each of the sexes in the candidacy lists for the collegiate bodies of power, namely, the National Assembly, City Council, Municipal Assembly and other supra- or sub-municipal bodies' (Article 4 (1) of Law No.68/IX/2019 establishing the Equality between Men and Women).
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | Article 431 (2) of the electoral law states that ‘public funding will be awarded only to those political parties, coalitions or groups of citizens whose lists presented for municipal elections, if elected, contain at least 25 per cent women candidates’. |
| Rank order/placement rules | No | None |
Additional Information
In the 2016 legislative elections, women were under-represented as candidates and as leaders of parties at national level. Only 21% of candidates were women and women were the top names of only 14.6% of the lists. Only one of the six competing parties had a woman as candidate for prime minister (African Union 2016).
During the 2012 municipal elections, a woman candidate ran in five of the country’s 22 municipal councils, compared to the three women candidates in the previous (2008) municipal elections.
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Lei no 56/VII/2010, B.O 29 I Suplemento 9 de Março 2010, [Law no. 56/VII/2010, Legislative Bulletin 29 I, 9 March 2010];
- Law No. 68/IX/2019 establishing the Equality between Men and Women. [Law No.68/IX/2019, Official Bulletin 118, 28 november 2019]
- Cabo Verde Parliamentary Website
- Cabo Verde Constitution
OTHER SOURCES:
- African Union (2016) Observer Mission to the Legislative Elections of 20 March 2016 in the Republic of Cabo Verde Preliminary Statement
- Voz da América Português [Voice of America, Portuguese], ‘Cabo-Verde: Cinco mulheres concorrem as eleições locais' 18 June 2012, [Cape Verde: five women compete in local elections, 18 June 2012]
-
Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU Parline Cabo Verde
Additional reading
- Borges, A., Muriaas, R., & Wang, V. (2019). Legislated Candidate Quotas with Reward for Compliance in Cabo Verde: Victory for No One?
- Carter, K., & Aulette, J. 2009. Cape Verdean women and globalization. The Politics of Gender, Culture, and Resistance. doi:10.1057/9780230100596
- International Republican Institute [IRI]. 2016. Women’s Political Empowerment, Representation and Influence in Africa: A Pilot Study of Women’s Leadership in Political Decision-Making. Available Here.
- UN Women, African Development Bank, & Government of Cabo Verde. 2018. Cabo Verde: Country Gender Profile