Sierra Leone
Parliament
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Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
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Presidential system
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Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
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Unicameral
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IPU membership
Current membership status
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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
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Current number of members
Number of members who currently hold seats in parliament. May be lower or higher than the statutory number of members.
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149
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Women
The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
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44
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Percentage of women
Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
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29.5%
Speaker
No information available
Secretary general
No information available
Chairs of specialized bodies
| Specialized body | Theme | Name | Sex | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Committee On Gender And Children's Affairs | Gender equality | Alice Jebbeh Kumabeh | Female | 61 |
Data on age at the start of the legislature
Number of members, by age (2023-07)
| 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 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 23 | 30 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 105 |
| Female | 0 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
| Totals per age interval | 0 | 3 | 30 | 36 | 35 | 31 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 149 |
| Total <= 45: 69 | Total >= 46: 80 | ||||||||||
| Age at the last election or renewal | Overall | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0% | 0.7% | 1.3% | |
| 22.1% | 18% | 4.0% | |
| 46.3% | 34% | 12.8% |
Reserved seats and quotas
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There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
Reserved seats are a means to ensure the parliamentary representation of certain groups in society.
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Yes
Notes: Constitution for Paramount Chiefs
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Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote gender-balanced representation in parliament
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Yes
Notes:
- The Gender Empowerment Act 2021 stipulates that: 30% of constituency seats in each district are to be reserved exclusively for female candidates contesting parliamentary election; and that the Electoral Commission is to reject a party's list of candidates if it fails to comply with the 30% women’s quota.
- The Public Elections Act 2022 also stipulates that, for every three candidates nominated for parliamentary elections, one of them is to be female.
- Additionally, the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act 2022 stipulates that 30% of public and private jobs must be reserved for women.
Sources:
- The Gender Empowerment Act 2021, Part II – Reserved Seats and Appointment to Public Office, articles 2 (1) (a) and 2 (3), published in the Supplement to the Sierra Leone Extraordinary Gazette Vol. CXLXII, No. 45, dated 16 August 2021
- The Public Elections Act 2022, Part VI – Election of Members of Parliament, article 58 (2), published in the Supplement to the Sierra Leone Gazette Extraordinary Vol. CXLXIII, No. 67, dated 20 September 2022
- The Gender Equality and Empowerment Act 2022, Part II – Public Elections and Appointment to Public Office, article 3, published in the Supplement to the Sierra Leone Gazette Extraordinary Vol. CXLXIII, No. 91, dated 30 December 2022
First woman in parliament
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Year of first woman in parliament
Year in which the first woman entered parliament
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1957
First woman speaker
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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.
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Not applicable
Notes: No woman has occupied the function of Speaker in the country.
Women’s suffrage
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Date of independence
For countries that become independent after 1940.
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1961
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Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote. More than one year may be displayed depending on the status of the right: restricted or universal and changes in status.
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1961
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Restricted or universal suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
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Universal
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Women's right to stand for election
Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election. More than one year may be displayed based on the status of the right: restricted or universal and shifts to the status.
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1961
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Restricted or universal
Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
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No information available
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.