Panama

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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Data on women

empty

Basic information > About parliament

Speaker

Speaker
Jaime Edgardo Vargas Centella (Male)
See historical data for this field.

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

Current number of members, by sex
Men The number of male parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
55
See historical data for this field.
Women The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
16
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Percentage of women Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
22.54% See historical data for this field.

Reserved seats and quotas

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 )
Elections > Historical data on women

Women's suffrage

Women’s right to vote
Women’s right to vote Year in which women obtained the right to vote
1941
National or local Suffrage: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
Restricted
Detail of restrictions Suffrage: Restrictions detail
"Panamanian women aged 21 and over who held a university degree or have completed vocational training, teachers' college or secondary schooling, may vote in provincial bodies
Notes Suffrage: Additional Notes on right of suffrage
Law N° 98, July 1941
Women’s right to vote Year in which women obtained the right to vote
1946
National or local Suffrage: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
Universal
Notes Suffrage: Additional Notes on right of suffrage
Law of 1 March 1946
Women’s right to stand for election
Women's right to stand for election Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election
1941
National or local Stand for Election: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
Restricted
Detail of restrictions Stand for Election: Restrictions detail
Minimum age: 21. Must hold a university degree or have completed vocational training or secondary schooling.
Women's right to stand for election Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election
1946
National or local Stand for Election: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
Universal
Notes Stand for Election: Additional Notes on right to stand for election
Law of 1 March 1946
First woman in parliament
First woman in parliament Year in which first woman entered parliament
1946
First woman speaker
Year of first woman speaker Date at which, for the first time in the country's parliamentary history, a woman became Presiding Officer of Parliament or of one of its Houses.
1994