Guatemala

Congress of the Republic

Political system
Presidential system
Structure of parliament
Unicameral
IPU membership
Yes

Data on women

Information on the current and historical representation of women in the parliament. Consult the 'Elections' tab to see how women have fared in elections or renewals.

Current representation

Women's representation in the current parliament or chamber

Current number of members
160
Women
32
Percentage of women
20.0%

Speaker

Click for historical data

Secretary general

No information available

Chairs of specialized bodies

Specialized body Theme Name Sex Age
Women's Commission of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala Gender equality Merana Oliva Aguilar de Díaz Female -

Data on age at the start of the legislature

Number of members, by age
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Male No information available
Female
Total <= 45: - Total >= 46: -
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
- - -
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger
- - -
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger
- - -

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
No
Electoral quota for women
Yes

Notes: Voluntary political party quotas.

Sources: cf. individual party statutes.

First woman in parliament

Year of first woman in parliament
1954

Notes: 1954: Congress was dissolved following a military coup d'Etat in 1954.The next woman to be elected to Parliament was on 1 March 1956 by the drawing of lots.

First woman speaker

Year of first woman speaker
1991

Women’s suffrage

Women’s right to vote
1946
Restricted or universal suffrage
Restricted
Women’s right to vote
1985
Restricted or universal suffrage
Universal

Notes: The Constitution of 1985 extended the right to vote to all citizens and established equality between the sexes.

Women's right to stand for election
1946
Restricted or universal
Restricted
Detail of restrictions
Women must be literate in order to stand for election
Women's right to stand for election
1965
Restricted or universal
Universal

Notes: According to the Electoral Law of 1946, suffrage was optional and secret for women, but obligatory for men. The 1956 Constitution made the vote obligatory for all literate women but maintained discrimination against illiterate women in that they could not stand for election. The 1965 Constitution extended the right to be elected to all citizens, yet the vote was still not compulsory for illiterate women.

Women's caucus

Women's caucuses or parliamentary groups that bring together women parliamentarians to strengthen cooperation and amplify their voices. For other parliamentary bodies or committees that have a specific mandate to address gender equality matters, see the ‘Specialized body – Gender equality’ tab.

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