To ensure meaningful empowerment of women in politics and an effective role at the decision-making level
The demand for direct elections to reserved women’s seats in the National Parliament of Bangladesh is gaining momentum as a crucial step toward ensuring meaningful empowerment and effective participation at the policy-making level. Political analysts and women leaders believe that only through direct elections can women politicians play an independent and robust role in legislation and the establishment of gender equality.
Recently, the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission of the interim government proposed a landmark reform to eliminate discrimination and ensure gender parity. The proposal suggested:
> Maintaining 300 reserved women’s seats alongside the existing 300 general seats.
> Expanding the Parliament to a total of 600 seats.
> Implementing a dual-ballot system where each voter casts two votes- one for a general seat candidate and another for a reserved women’s seat candidate.
> Ensuring that only women candidates compete against each other for these reserved seats.
Shirin Hoque, head of the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission and a member of Naripokkho, remarked on the issue: `Members of the reserved seats should not be nominated by political parties Rather, they should be directly elected by the people. Increasing the number of representatives in proportion to the population growth is a demand of the time.’
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day- ‘Action Today, Justice Tomorrow: Protect the Rights of Women and Girls’- emphasizes legal protection and immediate action. According to analysts, if a direct election process were implemented, women’s political rights would transcend paperwork and become a reality.
However, the proposal has faced significant negative criticism. Some critics viewed it merely as ‘imposing an additional 300 seats,’ while ignoring the qualitative shift that direct elections would bring. Furthermore, although Bangladesh ratified the CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) in 1984, it maintains reservations on Articles 2 and 16.1(c), which remain obstacles to women obtaining equal rights in family and legal matters.
Rasheda K. Chowdhury, former advisor to the Caretaker Government, stated that the demand for direct elections is a long-standing grievance of the women’s movement. She said, `The proposal of the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission was highly timely, but unfortunately, it has been bypassed. A lack of political will to bring women into the mainstream is evident among policymakers.’
Member of Parliament Barrister Rumeen Farhana told Pressenza, ‘If representatives for reserved seats were chosen through direct elections, it would create an opportunity for grassroots women politicians to secure their fair rights. It is regrettable, however, that instead of discussing this proposal, it has been ridiculed on social media.’ She added that despite women making up 52% of the voters, these demands remain unfulfilled due to the lack of a collective voice.
Independent candidate Anwara Islam Rani and Member of Parliament Nayab Yusuf Ahmed both emphasized the importance of direct communication with people at the field level. In their view, if women MPs are elected through direct votes, grassroots women can more easily voice their problems and rights- something that is not always possible with a male MP.
Farah Kabir, Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh, said, ‘The proposal for 300 reserved women’s seats is not just a numerical change; it is a fundamental demand for ensuring gender-responsive politics. True sustainable development is not possible without equality-based political reform.’
Ahead of International Women’s Day, political analysts and women leaders expressed their commitment to fostering strategic dialogue and building public opinion to remove structural barriers to women’s leadership, despite the indifference of the National Consensus Commission.
