Abstract

This article examines the political participation of women as candidates for mayor in municipal elections in Central America, between 2017-2020. The objective is to determine how far gender parity has advanced in the mayors of Central America and to make an evaluation of the implementation of electoral quotas at the local level. To fulfill the purpose, a comparative analysis and a review of the electoral regulations and practices of the political parties were carried out. It was found that gender quotas have contributed to the growth of female representation, but, except in the case of Nicaragua, there is a low level of political inclusion of women in the election of mayors, due to regulatory loopholes and prevailing political practices. It is proposed that a horizontal parity mechanism and a position mandate be included in female mayoral candidates to create a more comprehensive system of representation in Central America.

Keywords political representation; gender parity; electoral quotas; political inclusion; position mandate