Political underrepresentation in the Chamber of Deputies: The impacts of ADI 5.617 and Constitutional Amendments 111/2021 and 117/2022 on the descriptive representation of women and black people in the federal legislature

Abstract

This article assesses the impact of recent policies — Direct Action for the Declaration of Unconstitutionality (ADI) 5.617 and Constitutional Amendments 111/2021 and 117/2022 — aimed at mitigating the underrepresentation of women and black people in the Chamber of Deputies. The rules established minimum quotas of 30% for female financing and advertising, in addition to proportionality for black candidates. The electoral analysis between the 2014 and 2022 elections found a positive effect, evidenced by the increase in candidacies in 2022, especially among black women (+4%) and black men (+2.6%), in contrast to the 5.7% drop in candidacies by white men. Black women were the only group with an increase in the success rate (from 1.07% to 1.51%), more than doubling the seats occupied to 5.7% (29). However, the study concludes that, despite the advances, the new rules are limited. Their full effectiveness depends on the coercive action of the Legislative and Judiciary in punishing parties that violate or defraud the rules, combating impunity.