Mexico

In 1996, a temporary article of law was approved, which recommended political parties at the national level to consider adopting equality policies into their party statutes. The proposed aim was to have no more than 70 percent candidates of each sex for both Houses of Parliament.

In 2002, the Congress of the Union (both Houses of Parliament) approved reforms to COFIPE that require political parties to guarantee that women constitute at least 30% of candidates to the Senate and to the Chamber of Deputies or, more specifically, that lists for PR and constituency elections do not have more than 70 percent candidates and substitutes of the same sex. This legislation requires that parties include this principle in their party constitutions. This was increased to at least 40 percent in 2008 (Cerva Cerna 2008, p. 2, 8-9)

Parties who democratically elect their candidates through primaries instead of nominating them are exempt from the quota regulations. What constitutes a ?democratic election? is however not legally specified and has opened for a wide range of practices in parties, trying to avoid the quota (Baldez 2007; Peschard 2003).

As of 2009, 18 of 32 Mexican states have enacted quota laws for the state legislative bodies. Sonora, Chihuahua, Oaxaca and Sinaloa were pioneers and passed laws before 2000. 2003 saw a surge when five states passed quota laws. Sonora, however, abandoned quotas in 2006, since it did, in effect, halter women?s representation (Zetterberg forthcoming).