Analysis of female political participation in local governments in Panama, 2009–2024 Análisis de la participación política femenina en los gobiernos locales en Panamá, períodos 2009–2024

Abstract

This article analyzes female electoral political participation and representation in local governments in Panama across the 2009, 2014, 2019, and 2024 electoral periods. Drawing on a quantitative-descriptive approach, it examines official electoral data from Panama's Electoral Tribunal for the positions of mayors (alcaldes) and district council representatives (representantes de corregimiento), contrasting these figures with the regulatory framework that established gender parity in candidacies following the 2017 electoral reform. The analysis is grounded in theoretical perspectives on descriptive representation, affirmative action, and electoral systems, with reference to ongoing debates on gender quotas and parity across Latin America. Findings show that despite the formal implementation of parity, women do not exceed 15% of elected mayors or 10% of elected district representatives in any of the four periods examined, revealing a persistent gap between legal mandates and effective representation. This underrepresentation is explained by structural obstacles—including the absence of penalties for non-compliance with parity requirements and the dynamics of single-member districts—that neutralize the effect of regulations. The article concludes that the measures adopted are insufficient without binding enforcement mechanisms and proposes avenues for future research on local democracy from a gender perspective in Panama.