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At a glance

Structure of Parliament: Unicameral

Are there legislated quotas...

  • Yes for the Single/Lower House?
  • Yes at the Sub-national level?

Are there voluntary quotas...

  • Yes adopted by political parties?

Is there additional information?

Yes

Costa Rica

(Republic of Costa Rica)

Single/Lower house

Asamblea Legislativa / Legislative Assembly

Total seats:57
Total women:22
% women: 39%
Election year:2010
Electoral system:List PR
Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas
Election details: IDEA Voter Turnout
IPU Parline
Legal sourceDetails
Quota type:
Legislated Candidate Quotas		 Electoral law According to the Article 2, Electoral Law 8765, 2009, all nominations for elections must comply with the rules of parity and alternation, i.e. 50% of the candidates must be of each gender and that two persons of the same sex cannot be subsequently included on the list of candidates.
Legal sanctions for non-compliance: Electoral law According to Article 2, Electoral Law 8765, 2009, the electoral authorities reject lists that do not comply with the quota rules.
Rank order/placement rules: Electoral law According to the Article 2, Electoral Law 8765, 2009, two persons of the same sex cannot be subsequently included on the list of candidates.

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Last updated 2010-05-25

Quota at the Sub-National Level

Quota type:Legislated Candidate Quotas
Legal sourceDetails
Quota type:
Legislated Candidate Quotas
 Electoral law According to Article 2, Electoral Law 8765 (2009), all nominations for elections must comply with the rules of parity and alternation, i.e. 50% of the candidates must be of each gender and that two persons of the same sex cannot be subsequently included on the list of candidates.
Legal sanctions for non-compliance: Electoral law According to Article 148, Electoral Law 8765, 2009, the electoral authorities reject lists that do not comply with the quota rules.
Rank order/placement rules: Electoral law According to the Article 2, Electoral Law 8765, 2009, two persons of the same sex cannot be subsequently included on the list of candidates.

Sources | Additional information | Contact us

Last updated 2013-05-07

Voluntary Political Party Quotas*

PartyAcronymOfficial NameDetails, Quota provisions
National Liberation Party PLN Partido Liberación Nacional PLN alternates men and women candidates on electoral lists (Article 85 and 108, party statutes; Jager Contreras 2008, p 15-19). Nominations to be defined by provincial election in National Plenary Assembly, is to respect the representation of at least 40% for each gender. (Article 85, Partido Liberacion Nacional Estatuto).
Christian-Social Unity Party PUSC Partido Unidad Socialcristiana PUSC alternates men and women candidates on electoral lists. In the integration of all party structures, no more than 60% of its members shall be of the same gender, except for the District Assemblies and the Women's Front. The configuration of all candidate lists to elected office shall be held in such a way that no more than 60% of the members are of the same gender.
Citizen Action Party PAC Partido Accion Ciudadana 50 percent of the candidates must be women, placed at every second place (zipper system) on electoral lists (Article 36, party statutes; Jager Contreras 2008, p 15-19).
Libertarian Movement Party PML Partido Movimiento Libertario At least 40% of the seats to be allocated, in a possible government of the Libertarian Movement Party, will be occupied by women. Future internal party structures shall be formed with at least 40% women. The positions to elective office that are presented by the party must be integrated of at least 40% of women, who must be placed in electable positions. (Article 72, Partido Movimiento Libertario Estatuto).

* 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.

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Last updated 2010-08-23

Additional information

According to the Article 52, Electoral Law 8765 (2009) the statutes of the political parties must include rules on gender equality for the party as a whole and for the electoral lists. After the quota law was first implemented for the 1998 election, the electoral authorities did not reject lists that did not meet the quota requirement, resulting in the criticism from various organizations. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal ruled in 1999 that the quota law should be interpreted in the following way: lists should comprise a minimum of 40 percent of either sex, and that women should have 40 percent of electable seats (interpreted as the number of seats the party received in the district in the previous election) (Jager Contreras 2008, p 5-6; Resolution 1863 of 1999). A new law that will become effective in 2014 (when the next elections for the assembly takes place) stipulates a 50 percent quota for women in the assembly as well as strict alternation on lists (Electoral Code, Article 2 & 52).
Last updated 2013-05-07

Sources

  • Electoral Code (Código Electoral, Decreto legislativo N.º 8765 expediente N.º 14.268)
  • Jager Contreras, Marcela (2008), "Costa Rica - Buenas prácticas pasa la participación de mujeres en la política: más allá de las cuotas", in Del dicho al hecho: manual de buenas practicas para la participacion de mujeres en los partidos politícos latinoamericanos, Beatriz Llanos & Kristen Sample (eds.), Stockholm: International IDEA
  • Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Resolution 1863 of 23/9/1999
  • Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Resolution 2837 of 9/12/1999
  • Electoral Code (Law No. 8765)

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