Electoral parity

Electoral parity is the balanced presence of women and men in the field of political representation.

The Organic Law on the General Electoral System requires the balanced composition of the electoral lists submitted for elections to the Congress, local elections and elections to the Island Councils, the Island Councils of the Canary Islands, the European Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies of the Autonomous Communities.

  • This balanced composition entails the following:

    • On the list as a whole and, in any event, in each tranche of 5 positions, candidates of either sex may not make up less than 40% of the representation. Municipalities with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants and islands with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants are exempt.

    • In the elections of members to the Legislative Assemblies of the Autonomous Communities, the laws regulating their respective electoral regimes may establish measures to facilitate a greater presence of women in candidatures submitted for the elections to said Legislative Assemblies.

    • When the candidatures for the Senate are grouped together on lists, these lists will also have a balanced composition of women and men, in such a way that the proportion of women and men is as close as possible to a numerical balance.

  • This balanced composition entails the following:

    • On the list as a whole and, in any event, in each tranche of 5 positions, candidates of either sex may not make up less than 40% of the representation. Municipalities with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants and islands with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants are exempt.

    • In the elections of members to the Legislative Assemblies of the Autonomous Communities, the laws regulating their respective electoral regimes may establish measures to facilitate a greater presence of women in candidatures submitted for the elections to said Legislative Assemblies.

    • When the candidatures for the Senate are grouped together on lists, these lists will also have a balanced composition of women and men, in such a way that the proportion of women and men is as close as possible to a numerical balance.

  • This balanced composition entails the following:

    • On the list as a whole and, in any event, in each tranche of 5 positions, candidates of either sex may not make up less than 40% of the representation. Municipalities with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants and islands with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants are exempt.

    • In the elections of members to the Legislative Assemblies of the Autonomous Communities, the laws regulating their respective electoral regimes may establish measures to facilitate a greater presence of women in candidatures submitted for the elections to said Legislative Assemblies.

    • When the candidatures for the Senate are grouped together on lists, these lists will also have a balanced composition of women and men, in such a way that the proportion of women and men is as close as possible to a numerical balance.

In municipal elections, on the list as a whole and, in any event, in each tranche of 5 positions, candidates of either sex may not make up less than 40% of the representation. Municipalities with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants and islands with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants are exempt.

In the elections of members to the Legislative Assemblies of the Autonomous Communities, the laws regulating their respective electoral regimes may establish measures to facilitate a greater presence of women in candidatures submitted for the elections to said Legislative Assemblies.