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The Global Gender Equality Constitutional Database is a repository of gender equality related provisions in 194 constitutions from around the world. The Database was updated in partnership with the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and with support from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and the Government of Japan. Experience its wealth and depth of information by starting your search now.
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English1. Subject to the provisions of subsections (4) and (5) no law shall make any provision that is discriminatory either of itself or in its effect.
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3. In this section, the expression “discriminatory” means affording different treatment to different persons attributable wholly or mainly to their respective descriptions by race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status whereby persons of one such description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another such description are not made subject or are accorded privileges or advantages which are not accorded to persons of another such description.
4. Subsection (1) shall not apply to any law to the extent that that law makes provision—
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e. whereby persons of any such description as is mentioned in subsection (3) may be made subject to any disability or restriction or may be accorded any privilege or advantage which, having regard to its nature and to special circumstances pertaining to those persons or to persons of any other such description, is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.
Nothing in this subsection shall prevent the making of laws in pursuance of the principle of State Policy of promoting a society based on equality and justice for all the citizens of Lesotho and thereby removing any discriminatory law.
... (Sec. 18)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English
The Government of Nepal shall make appraisal and review of the implementation of special rights of the women and Dalit community and impacts thereof, on the basis of human development index, concurrently with a national census to be held in every ten years. (Art. 281)
- Nepali
नेपाल सरकारले प्रत्येक दश वर्षमा हुने राष्ट्रिय जनगणनासगै महिला तथा दलित समुदायको विशेष अधिकारको व्यवस्थाको कार्यान्वयन र त्यसको प्रभाव सम्बन्धमा मानव विकास सूचकांकको आधारमा समीक्षा तथा पुनरावलोकन गर्नेछ । (धारा २८१)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English…
The State works for the realization of parity between men and women.
An Authority for parity and the struggle against all forms of discrimination is created, to this effect. (Art. 19) - Arabic…
تسعى الدّولة إلى تحقيق مبدأ المناصفة بين الرّجال والنساء.
وتُحدث لهذه الغاية، هيئة للمناصفة ومكافحة كلّ أشكال التّمييز. (الفصل 19)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English…
(3) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, Parliament may make provision -
(a) …
(v) for the extraction from the lists and declaration of names of the candidates who have been elected, and for such provision for extraction to take into account the proportion that women form of the electorate;
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(b) …
(iii) for the minimum number or proportion of female candidates on a party’s list and in all party’s lists taken together;
(iv) for the minimum number or proportion of female candidates on a party’s lists for geographical constituencies taken individually or together;
(v) for the maximum percentage or the number of geographical constituencies a party can contest in which its lists contain no female candidate.
… (Art. 160)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English
1. The Assembly consists of 140 deputies, elected according to a system of proportional elections with regional competition and national threshold.
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3. ...
The law on elections shall guarantee that no less than two-thirds of the multi-name list will be subject to preferential voting and that gender representation is guaranteed. (Art. 64) - Albanian
1. Kuvendi përbëhet nga 140 deputetë, të zgjedhur sipas një sistemi zgjedhjesh proporcional me konkurrim rajonal dhe prag kombëtar.
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3. ...
Ligji për zgjedhjet garanton që votimit parapëlqyes t’i nënshtrohen jo më pak se dy të tretat e listës shumemërore dhe të sigurojë përfaqësim gjinor. (Neni 64)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- EnglishThe fundamental tasks of the state are:
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h) To promote equality between men and women. (Art. 9) - PortugueseSão tarefas fundamentais do Estado:
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h) Promover a igualdade entre homens e mulheres. (Art. 9)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English
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For the election of the 200 deputies [masculine] and deputies [feminine], according to the principle of proportional representation and the System of Regional Lists, five plurinomial electoral circumscriptions will be constituted in the country conformed in accordance with the principle of parity, and headed alternately between women and men each elective period. The Law will determine the form of establishing the territorial demarcation of these circumscriptions. (Art. 53) - Spanish
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Para la elección de los 200 diputados y diputadas según el principio de representación proporcional y el Sistema de Listas Regionales, se constituirán cinco circunscripciones electorales plurinominales en el país conformadas de acuerdo con el principio de paridad, y encabezadas alternadamente entre mujeres y hombres cada periodo electivo. La Ley determinará la forma de establecer la demarcación territorial de estas circunscripciones. (Art. 53)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- EnglishThe fundamental objectives of the State shall be:
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j) To create, promote and guarantee the effective equality of opportunities between women and men. (Sec. 6) - TetumEstadu nia objetivu fundamentál sira maka ne’e:
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j) Hamoris, promove no garante biban no leet ne’ebé hanesan ba ema feto no mane. (Art. 6) - PortugueseO Estado tem como objectivos fundamentais:
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j) Criar, promover e garantir a efectiva igualdade de oportunidades entre a mulher e o homem. (Art. 6)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English(1) The State must promote full gender balance in Zimbabwean society, and in particular—
(a) the State must promote the full participation of women in all spheres of Zimbabwean society on the basis of equality with men;
(b) the State must take all measures, including legislative measures, needed to ensure that—
(i) both genders are equally represented in all institutions and agencies of government at every level; and
(ii) women constitute at least half the membership of all Commissions and other elective and appointed governmental bodies established by or under this Constitution or any Act of Parliament;
(c) the State and all institutions and agencies of government at every level must take practical measures to ensure that women have access to resources, including land, on the basis of equality with men.
(2) The State must take positive measures to rectify gender discrimination and imbalances resulting from past practices and policies. (Sec. 17)
Affirmative Action (Broadly)
- English(1) Subject to the provisions of subsections (4), (5) and (7), no law shall make any provision that is discriminatory either of itself or in its effect.
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(3) In this section, the expression “discriminatory” means affording different treatment to different persons attributable wholly or mainly to their respective descriptions by sex, race, place of origin, political opinions, colour or creed whereby persons of one such description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another such description are not made subject or are accorded privileges or advantages which are not accorded to persons of another such description.
(4) Subsection (1) shall not apply to any law so far as that law makes provision—
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(d) whereby persons of any such description as is mentioned in subsection (3) may be subjected to any disability or restriction or may be accorded any privilege or advantage that, having regard to its nature and to special circumstances pertaining to those persons or to persons of any other such description, is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.
… (Sec. 13)