Laws, quotas and electoral frameworks

South Africa ANC Constitution Article 6(1) — voluntary party gender quota

ANC states not less than 50% women in elected party structures; it is not a legislated quota for all parliamentary seats.

Electoral Amendment Act 1 of 2023 — independent candidates

South African Parliament · 2023

Allows qualifying independent candidates to contest National Assembly and provincial legislatures; not a gender quota.

Commenced 19 June 2023; statutory provisions subject to subsequent court decisions and legal amendments.

South Africa parliamentary gender-quota distinction — no legislated national quota

International IDEA — Gender Quotas Database · 2024

No legislated gender quota for the National Assembly or National Council of Provinces. Voluntary party quotas exist, including ANC's internal minimum 50% for elected structures. At local level, candidate-list provisions seek 50% women. The party and subnational targets are not a national statutory seat quota.

Verified scope: documented 2024 electoral framework, not all future election rules.

South Africa 2024 National Assembly electoral system — two-tier compensatory proportional representation

Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) · 2024

For the 2024 National Assembly election, 400 seats were divided into 200 national compensatory party-list seats and 200 regional seats, open to parties and qualifying independents. Distinct from elections to provincial legislatures.

Verified scope: documented 2024 electoral framework, not all future election rules.

Somalia 2024 National Electoral Law — House women reservation

2024

November 2024 National Electoral Law introduced a legal reservation of 30% of seats for women in the House of the People. Distinct from earlier non-binding transition commitments and from actual 2021–22 elected women share of 19.7%.

Reported by UN Women and IPU; legislative adoption in November 2024 does not change the already elected 2021–22 members retroactively.

Somalia 2026 constitutional amendments — five-year parliamentary terms

2026

IPU records 2026 constitutional revisions extending existing federal Parliament terms to five years, with legislature convened April 2022 continuing until April 2027. This is not a parliamentary election result or evidence that the 30% female quota was achieved.

2026 constitutional update in effect 12 April 2026 per IPU; next parliamentary election schedule pending NIEBC official announcement.

Cameroon Electoral Code 2012/001 — gender consideration in lists

2012

Electoral candidate lists must take gender into consideration; this is not a guaranteed 30% seat quota.

Cameroon Electoral Code Amendment Law 2026/003

2026

April 2026 electoral code amendment; particular gender-related effects not asserted.

Republic of Congo Electoral Law as amended by Act 40-2014

2014

Political-party candidate lists in elections for National Assembly and Senate must include at least 30% women; candidacy rule, not reserved elected seats.