| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Asamblea Nacional / National Assembly |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| LEGAL FRAMEWORK |
| Electoral Law |
10 August 1983
Last amendment: 14/07/1997 |
| Mode of designation |
directly elected 71 |
| Constituencies |
Single and multi-member constituencies.
Each administrative district within the country's nine provinces having more than 40,000 inhabitants comprises one constituency. Each constituency elects one representative per 30,000 inhabitants and an additional one for every fraction over 10,000. |
| Voting system |
Mixed:
- in single-member constituencies, representatives are elected by simple majority vote
- in multi-member constituencies, a preferential party-list system of proportional representation is used, with seats allotted initially according to a double quotient system.
- The first allocation uses a simple electoral quotient. Further seats are allotted on the basis of the same quotient divided in half. Remaining seats are allotted to those parties with the greatest remainders.
Vacancies arising between general elections are filled by substitutes chosen at the same time as titular members.
Voting is compulsory for registered electors. |
| Voter requirements |
- age: 18 years
- Panamanian citizenship
- full possession of civil and political rights
|
| CANDIDATES |
| Eligibility |
- age: 21 years
- Panamanian citizenship by birth or naturalization for at least 15 years
- residence in the constituency where running for a minimum of one year immediately preceding the polling day
- ineligibility: conviction (accompanied by a detention order) or offences against the public administration or election-connected offences |
| Incompatibilities |
- remunerated public employment (except for teachers of public schools) |
| Candidacy requirements |
- Candidatures to be submitted by political parties within three months of the beginning of the period of electoral process |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Electoral system module
