Additional information about gender quotas

In 1997 a 30% quota law was adopted for both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The quota applied only to the 'closed lists' and not to constituency elections. It did not specify where women should be placed on the list. The law only applied to the 1998 election, and women's representation increased from 6 to 12 percent. In 2000 the law was declared unconstitutional, and in the next election women's representation dropped to 9.7%.

In April 2004 the National Electoral Board (Consejo Nacional Electoral) passed a resolution to increase women's opportunity to actively participate in politics. The electoral gazette (2005) of the Republic of Venezuela recommends the parties to ensure female representation on the electoral lists at all levels. Furthermore, the EMB has the right to ensure that this recommendation is followed by the parties and will publicly publish the list of parties not fulfilling the recommendation.