Gender Quotas Database
Maldives
Southern Asia
Single / Lower House
Majlis / People's Majlis
| Total seats | 87 |
| Total women | 4 |
| Percentage of women | 5% |
| Election year | 2019 |
| Electoral system | FPTP |
| Quota type | |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
| Quota type | Reserved seats |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Reserved seats | Electoral law |
The 2019 amendment to the Decentralization Act (Law No. 7/2010) established a 33% electoral quota for women in local councils. (NATIONAL GENDER EQUALITY ACTION PLAN 2022-2026) |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| No data available. | ||
* 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.
Additional information
Electoral quotas for women had been introduced for the first time in Maldives in 2019, allocating 33 per cent of the local council seats to women. Enhanced gender representation in the judiciary was a top priority in the judicial reform agenda of the Government and today women judges were adjudicating over cases in all tiers of the Maldivian judiciary. The Government acknowledged the low rate of women representation in the current Parliament and would continue to bring the necessary legislative amendments to establish quotas for women within political parties’ internal elections.(OHCHR, 2021).
According to the NATIONAL GENDER EQUALITY ACTION PLAN 2022-2026, the Target is that at the end of 2026 33% quota of national parliamentary seats reserved for women is introduced and endorsed.
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Constitution of Maldives - Link
- Elections General Act - Link
- Political Parties Act 4/2013 - Link
- Gender Equality Act - Link
OTHER SOURCES:
- Parliament of Maldives - Link
- Elections Commission - Link
- Gains for Women and Democracy in the Local Council Elections in the Maldives (2021) - Link
- Global Campus Asia-Pacific, Lack of women in the parliament is due to inaction by State and political parties, 2020
- Review of Electoral Legal Framework of the Maldives 2020 - Link
- OHCHR, Experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Ask Maldives about how Radicalised Religious Groups and Discriminatory Practices Affect Women, 2021
Additional reading
- UN Women Asia and the Pacific , Maldives Country Profile
- See the latest updates on The Maldives on iKNOW Politics
- El-Horr, J., & Pande, R. P. (2016). Understanding gender in Maldives: Toward inclusive development. World Bank Publications.
- Asian Development Bank, Maldives Gender Equality Diagnostic of Selected Sectors (2014)
Explore more resources: Asia | Global
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