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Good practice Imported

São Tomé and Príncipe's Political Parity Law: A 40% Quota Awaiting Its First Electoral Test

Sao Tome and Principe · São Tomé · See the Sao Tome and Principe profile · See the São Tomé profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 67% 52/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

On 28 July 2022 São Tomé and Príncipe's National Assembly unanimously passed a law reserving 40% of parliamentary, cabinet and public-administration posts for women. The law took effect after that year's election, so its real test is the vote scheduled for September 2026.

12 %
Women's National Assembly seats before the reform (pre-2022)
20 %
Women's cabinet posts before the reform (pre-2022)
55/55 votes
Legislative approval vote (28 July 2022)
8 of 55 (14.55%) %
Women's National Assembly seats after the 2022 election (2022)
53.8 → 83.1 index points
World Bank Women, Business and the Law index (2008-2023)
40 %
Mandated quota level (from 2022)
São Tomé and Príncipe's Political Parity Law: A 40% Quota Awaiting Its First Electoral Test

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
National Assembly of São Tomé and Príncipe
Period
2022–present (first electoral test: September 2026)
Keywords
electoral law, political parity, gender quotas, legislation

Context

On 28 July 2022, all 55 deputies of São Tomé and Príncipe's National Assembly unanimously approved legislation reserving a minimum of 40% of National Assembly and Cabinet seats, plus 40% of public-administration directorate positions, for women, with gender alternation required in the first two candidate-list positions. The reform emerged from multi-sector advocacy by women parliamentarians, civil-society groups and women lawyers, including former Prime Minister Maria das Neves and former Justice Minister Ilza Amado Vaz, with technical support from UN Women, UNDP and the UN Department of Political Affairs.

Results

Before the reform, women held 12% of National Assembly seats and 20% of cabinet posts. The law took effect on 19 November 2022, after the 25 September 2022 election had already concluded, so it did not apply to that vote: women won 8 of 55 seats (14.55%), unchanged from 2018 and down from a 23.6% pre-election figure. The first real electoral test is scheduled for 27 September 2026. Separately, the World Bank's Women, Business and the Law index for São Tomé and Príncipe rose from 53.8 in 2008 to 83.1 in 2023.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k) — No cost data published for implementing the quota law
Time to results
Short (< 1 year) — Passed 28 July 2022 (unanimous 55/55 vote); took effect 19 November 2022, after the 25 September 2022 election; first electoral test scheduled for 27 September 2026
Staffing & skills
Advocacy coalition of women parliamentarians, civil-society groups and women lawyers, including former Prime Minister Maria das Neves and former Justice Minister Ilza Amado Vaz, Technical support from UN Women, UNDP and the UN Department of Political Affairs

Conditions for success

  • Multi-sector advocacy coalition combining political insiders and civil society
  • International technical support (UN Women, UNDP, UN Department of Political Affairs)
  • Unanimous cross-party legislative approval (55 of 55 votes)

Common failure modes

  • The law took effect after the 2022 election had already concluded, so the quota did not apply to that vote
  • No electoral test of the quota has yet occurred; effectiveness remains unproven until the September 2026 election

Where it fits

Governance type
national government / parliament
Scale
national
Income level
lower-middle income (small island state)

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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Data sources

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Attachments

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