New Parline: the IPU’s Open Data Platform (beta)
Your one-stop-shop for information about national parliaments

Panama

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National Assembly

Political system Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
Presidential system
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Structure of parliament Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
Unicameral
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IPU membership Current membership status
Yes
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About parliament

Basic information such as the official name of parliament and details of its structure and leadership. Also includes the current breakdown of MPs by sex and age, and provisions for quotas and reserved seats.

Parliament name
Asamblea Nacional (National Assembly)
Chamber name
Asamblea Nacional (National Assembly)
Parliamentary term (years)
5

IPU membership

Affiliation periods
from 1925 to 1936
from 1958 to 1969
from 1976
IPU Geopolitical Group/s IPU Geopolitical Groups: African Group, Arab Group, Asia-Pacific Group, Eurasia Group, Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC), Twelve Plus Group.
Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC)

Speaker

Official title The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.
President of the National Assembly
Speaker
Marcos Castillero (Male)
Year of birth
1974
Term
01.07.2019
Additional information
Elected on 1 July 2019.
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Secretary General

Official title This post is most commonly called Secretary General or Clerk. It may also be called Secretary, Head/Chief of the Secretariat, Director General, etc.
Secretary General
Secretary General
Quibián Panay (Male)
Notes Additional information about the Secretary General, in particular regarding their term.
Elected on 1 July 2019 for a five-year term.

Members

Statutory number of members Statutory number of members, as defined in the constitution or other fundamental law.
71
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Principal mode of designation of members
Directly elected
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Directly elected members Directly elected by citizens.
71
Current number of members Number of members who currently hold seats in parliament. May be lower or higher than the statutory number of members.
71
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Men The number of male parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
56
Women The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
15
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Percentage of women Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
21.13% See historical data for this field.
Statutory number of members per country As defined in the constitution or other fundamental laws. Combines the number of parliamentarians in both chambers in bicameral parliaments.
71
Population (in thousands) Source: United Nations, World Population Prospects.
3,969
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Inhabitants per parliamentarian Calculated by dividing the population by the statutory number of parliamentarians.
55,901 See historical data for this field.

Age

Data on the age of parliamentarians is collected at start of the legislature, following the most recent elections. This data is not updated during the legislature.

 

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups Reserved seats are a means to ensure the parliamentary representation of certain groups in society.
No
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Electoral quota for women Quotas to promote the representation of women in parliament.
Yes
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Notes
Nomination lists of political parties presented for primaries and internal elections should include 50% women. These lists should be certified by a representative of the women’s secretariats in political parties. If the level of women’s participation is less than the standard provided by this article, and this is attested by the women’s secretariat, the party can fill the vacant candidacies with male candidates. (Source: https://www.idea.int/data-tools/data/gender-quotas )
Legal source Legal text that stipulates the quota, such as the Constitution or electoral law.
Electoral Code of Panama, article 239 (amended by Law 54, 2012, Article 6),
Electoral quota for youth Quotas to promote the representation of youth in parliament.
No
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Links to additional information