Angola's Law 20/10 — Mandatory 30% Gender Representation in Parliament and Leadership Bodies

Angola's Law 20/10 of 3 December 2010, on the promotion of gender equality, obligates political parties and public and private bodies to ensure at least 30% representation of either sex in their governing structures, including candidate lists for the National Assembly.

Women's representation in Angola's National Assembly reached 26.9% in 2012 (the first elections after the law's passage), rising to 38.6% by February 2024 (UN Women data hub) — well above the 30% statutory minimum and the global parliamentary average of approximately 27%. In the 2022 elections, Carolina Cerqueira (MPLA) was elected President of the National Assembly, becoming the first woman to hold the post in Angola's post-independence history. The Head of State has since mandated a policy review aimed at raising the target to 40%.

Angola's ruling MPLA party maintained internal gender-friendly candidate placement practices since the 1990s, predating Law 20/10, so attribution to the law specifically is partial. Angola's broader governance context, rated 'Not Free' by Freedom House, also limits generalisability of conclusions about substantive women's empowerment.