SHARECountry Data
Dominican Republic (Dominican Republic) has a Bicameral parliament with legislated quotas for the single/lower house and at the sub-national level. 51 of 190 (27%) seats in the Cámara de Diputados / Chamber of Deputies 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?
- For the Sub-National Level? Yes
Are there voluntary quotas...
- Adopted by political parties? No
Is there additional information?...
- Yes
Last updated: Apr 16, 2019
Single/Lower House
Cámara de Diputados / Chamber of Deputies
| Total seats | 190 |
| Total Women | 51 |
| % Women | 27% |
| Election Year | 2016 |
| 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 | Under Article 39 (para. 5) of the Constitution, the state must promote and guarantee the equal participation of women and men in all nominations for public elections. |
| Electoral law | According to Article 68 (3) of the Electoral Law (Law No. 275-97, as amended by Law 12-2000), political parties in their candidate lists for elections for the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) must include at least 33% women candidates. | |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | According to the Electoral Law, the lists of the political parties that do not include at least 33% of female candidates will be canceled and not accepted by the Electoral Commission. |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | Women candidates should be placed on the list in alternate positions with men candidates (Article 68 (3)). |
| 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 |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
- Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas¤
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas¤ | Constitution | The state must promote and guarantee the equal participation of women and men in all nominations for public elections (Article 39, para. 5). |
| Electoral law | In the nomination of candidates for elective offices at the municipal level, political parties and movements are obliged to maintain and encourage the participation of women. Therefore, when the principal candidate for mayor is a man, the alternate candidate must be a woman and vice versa. In addition, the principal and alternate candidate lists for elections to the municipal councils must include at least 33% of women candidates. In municipalities where only 5 council members are elected, all party lists should include a minimum of 2 women candidates (Article 34 of Law No. 176-07 on municipalities). |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | According to the Electoral Law, the lists of the political parties that do not include at least 33% of female candidates will be cancelled and not accepted by the Electoral Commission. |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law | Women candidates should be placed on the list in alternate positions with men candidates (Article 68). |
Additional Information
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Consitución de la República 2010 [Constitution of the Dominican Republic 2010], in Compilación de la Legislación Electoral de la República Dominicana, 2010 [Compilation of the electoral legislation of the Dominican Republic, 2010];
- Ley Electoral (no 275-97) de la República Dominicana [Electoral Law no 275-97 of the Dominican Republic];
Additional reading
- Htun, Mala N. 2002. Women in Political Power in Latin America. Manuscript.
- Htun, Mala N. and Mark P. Jones. 2002. ‘Engendering the Right to Participate in Decision-Making: Electoral Quotas and Women's Leadership in Latin America’, in Nikki Craske and Maxine Molyneux(eds) Gender and the Politics of Rights and Democracy in Latin America. New York: Palgrave. pp. 32-56
- Peschard, Jacqueline. 2002. The quota system in Latin America: General review. Manuscript.
- Jimenez Polanco, Jacqueline. 2001. ‘La représentation politique des femmes en Amérique Latine: Une analyse comparée’ (Women's political representation in Latin America: a comparative analysis). Bérengère Marques-Pereira and Patricio Nolasco (eds) La représentation politique des femmes en Amérique Latine (Women's political representation in Latin America). Brussels: L'Harmattan. pp. 27-81.
- Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas. 2001. Women and Power in the Americas: A Report Card. Washington: Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas.
- Htun, Mala N. 1998. Women's Political Participation, Representation and Leadership in Latin America. Issue Brief, Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas.