Democratic Republic of the Congo

National Assembly

Political system
Presidential-Parliamentary
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
Yes

Historical data on women

Data on women’s right to vote and to stand for election, the date at which the first woman entered parliament, and female Heads of State or Government

Women's suffrage

Date of independence
1960
Notes
No information available
Year of first woman in parliament
1970
Year of first woman speaker
2019

Women’s right to vote

Women’s right to vote
1967
National or local
National
Restricted or universal suffrage
Universal

Notes: The ordonnance-loi (Decree-law) regarding Referendum Act N°67-223 of 3 May 1967 recognized the right of all Congolese, irrespective of sex, to participate in the Constitutional referendum. The law on legislative and presidential elections of 17 April 1970 supported suffrage as granted in the Constitution and formally gave both men and women the right to vote.

Women’s right to stand for election

Women's right to stand for election
1970
National or local
National
Restricted or universal
Universal

Notes: The law on legislative and presidential elections of 17 April 1970 supported suffrage as granted in the Constitution of 1967 and formally gave both men and women the right to stand for election.

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No