See also special areas
At a glance
Structure of Parliament: Bicameral
Are there legislated quotas...
Are there voluntary quotas...
- Yes adopted by political parties?
Spain
(Kingdom of Spain)
Single/Lower house
Congreso de los Diputados / Congress of Deputies
| Total seats: | 350 |
| Total women: | 128 |
| % women: | 37% |
| Election year: | 2008 |
| 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 | In March 2007 the Equality Law (Ley de Igualdad) modified the electoral law and introduced the "principle of balanced presence". Party electoral lists are required to have a minimum of 40 percent and a maximum of 60 percent of either sex among their candidates in elections to the Lower house (Congress of Deputies). The law was first applied in the general elections of March 2008. |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance: | Electoral law | Party lists that do not comply with parity will not be approved by the Electoral Commission at the provincial level. Parties are given a short period to amend their lists. In the first elections when the quota was to be enforced, some provincial electoral authorities did not reject lists that did not comply with the rules. Some parties challenged those lists before administrative courts and non-parity lists were forced to be amended or face full nullity. It is expected that in future elections the Electoral Commission will fulfil their role more effectively. |
| Rank order/placement rules: | Electoral Law | Quotas are not only applied to the whole party lists but also every five posts. If the number of eligible posts is less than five, then the list must be as close as possible to the 40-60 percent equilibrium. |
Sources | Additional information | Contact us
Last updated 2010-07-08
Upper house
Senado / Senate
| Total seats: | 263 |
| Total women: | 81 |
| % women: | 31% |
| Election year: | 2008 |
| Electoral system: | |
| Quota type: | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details: | IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas |
Electoral law | The Electoral Law (as amended in 2007) also applies to elections to the Senate. Party electoral lists must have a minimum of 40 percent and a maximum of 60 percent of either sex. all elections (general, regional, European and local elections). |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance: | Electoral law | The political parties are given a short period to adjust lists that does not meet the quota requirement. If they fail to do so, the lists will not be approved by the Electoral Commission. |
| Rank order/placement rules: | Electoral law | Quotas are not only applied to the whole party lists but also every five posts. If the number of eligible posts is less than five, then the list must be as close as possible to the 40-60 percent equilibrium. |
Sources | Additional information | Contact us
Last updated 2010-07-08
Quota at the Sub-National Level
| Quota type: | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas |
Constitution | The Electoral Law (as amended 2007) also adheres to regional and local elections. It was first applied in the local and regional elections of May 2007. Villages with less than 5,000 inhabitants are released from its enforcement. By 2011 only villages under 3,000 inhabitants will not be obliged to comply with the Equality Law. Quota requirements are also included in regional laws. By March 2007 several Autonomous Communities had adopted quotas to the regional elections such as Balearic Islands, Castilla-La Mancha, Andalusia and the Basque Country. In the latter case, women have to represent at least 50 percent of any party electoral list, so in fact it allows for the presentation of all-women lists. |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance: | Electoral law | The political parties are given a short period to adjust lists that does not meet the quota requirement. If they fail to do so, the lists will not be approved by the Electoral Commission. |
| Rank order/placement rules: | Electoral law | Quotas are not only applied to the whole party lists but also every five posts. If the number of eligible posts is less than five, then the list must be as close as possible to the 40-60% equilibrium. |
Sources | Additional information | Contact us
Last updated 2009-09-25
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Acronym | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish Socialist Workers' Party | PSOE | Partido Socialista Obrero Espanol | Since 1997, PSOE has a 40 percent quota for either sex (party statutes, 2009, article 7k). The party first introduced a quota rule, at 25 percent, in 1988. |
| United Left | IU | Izquierda Unida | Since 1997, IU has a 40 percent quota for either sex (party statutes 2008, article 7). The quota was first introduced in 1989, at 25 percent. |
| Socialist Party of Catalonia | PSC | Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya | PSC has a 40 percent quota for either sex (2000). The quota was first introduced in 1982 (12 percent) and enlarged in 1987 (15 percent), 1990 (25 percent) and 1996 (30 percent). |
| Initiative for Catalonia- Green | ICV | Iniciativa per Catalunya-Verds | ICV has a 40 percent quota for either sex (2002). The quota was first introduced in 1991 (30 percent). |
| Republican Left of Catalonia | ERC | Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya | ERC has a 40 percent quota for either sex (2004). |
| Nationalist Galician Block | BNG | Bloque Nacionalista Galego | Quotas was approved by BNG in 2002 (40 percent quota for either sex). |
| Canarian Coalition | CC | Coalición Canaria | A 40 percent quota for either sex was approved by CC in 2000. (Party statutes, 2008, article 4:18.) |
* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. In case of legislated quotas, only political parties that have quotas beyond the national quota legislation are presented in this table.
Sources | Additional information | Contact us
Last updated 2009-11-30
