Political parties must abandon ‘wrong path’ on women’s representation, activists say
Speakers at a press conference have called on the political parties to reconsider their stance on reserved seats for women in the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament).
They also stressed that changes must be brought in the decisions reached in discussions between the National Consensus Commission with the political parties, over reserved women’s seats in parliament and giving nomination to female candidates in 300 constituencies.
According to them, those changes must be incorporated in the proposed July National Charter.
They also warned that unless women’s voices are taken seriously, they will chart their own course at the ballot box.
The event, held on Sunday at the Sagar-Runi Auditorium of the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU), was organised by the “Women’s Political Forum” under the theme “Roadmap for securing women’s rights in national elections”.
The platform demanded that the number of reserved women’s seats be increased from 50 to 100, that these seats be filled through direct elections, and that political parties allocate at least 33 per cent of nominations for the 300 general seats to women.
Speakers said discussions with political parties have already begun to meet their demands.
However, the outcome of the National Consensus Commission’s two rounds of talks with parties—concluded on 31 July—retained 50 reserved seats under the nomination system, while only 5 per cent of general seats were earmarked for female candidates.
The political parties committed merely to gradually increase nominations by 5 per cent in each election until the 33 per cent target was met.
These provisions have been included in Article 24 of the draft July Charter, provoking sharp criticism from women’s rights defenders.
The Women’s Political Forum, comprising 12 organisations, was launched on 31 August this year in response to these concerns.
Speaking at the media conference today, human rights activist Farah Kabir emphasised that the Forum’s proposals reflect the aspirations of women across Bangladesh, not just those in Dhaka. “We have spoken to women at the grassroots from Teknaf to Tetulia. They cannot come to Dhaka and speak up. We are speaking on behalf of them for the sake of our accountability.”
She further said they want both the right to vote and the opportunity to lead. Women have the capacity to contest elections with accountability, and they must not be excluded from decision-making.
Dhaka University sociology professor Samina Luthfa said, “We have already started discussions with several parties and will continue to do so. We hope they will realise the concerns of women.”
Addressing the media conference, Samina Luthfa further said, “The Forum has conducted surveys and dialogues with women at the grassroots. Those reveal that women want 100 reserved seats and direct elections. Parties must recognise this demand. Women will make their own decisions if they could realise which parties have been creating obstacles to meet their demands. Political parties have time to return from their wrong tracks. The parties must come out of old political calculations. None but the parties will face dangers if they do not take into consideration the female voices.”
Publisher Mahrukh Mohiuddin said, “It is possible to hold direct elections for reserved seats in 2026. Women leaders are prepared. If political parties show goodwill, there could be discussions on the mechanisms to hold elections directly in 100 constituencies.”
Pointing out that the decisions reached in the discussions between the National Consensus Commission and the political parties goes against the expectations of the women, she termed this as disappointing.
“But if the July Charter sidelines women’s voices, it will never gain legitimacy among half the population,” Mahrukh Mohiuddin stressed.
Labour leader Taslima Akhter said they have been putting emphasis on two priorities: raising reserved seats to 100 with direct elections, and ensuring at least 33 per cent female nominations for the 300 general seats. While the proposed July Charter raised the number of reserved seats to 100 from 50, it failed to clarify whether these would be directly elected.
She too said that they were interested to have discussions on direct elections in the reserved seats and its mechanism.
Samina Luthfa, Taslima Akhter, Sadaf Saaz Siddiqui of Naripokkho, and Sushmita Roy of the Nari Mukti Kendra read out a written statement at the press conference.
It said: women’s representation must not remain at a symbolic level; true empowerment requires enabling women to contest elections and win seats through popular mandate so that they could play effective roles in parliament; a minimum 33 per cent quota in parliament should be mandatory immediately, and has to be raised to 50 per cent gradually; legal obligations must compel parties to nominate women, and reliance on goodwill will not suffice.
The Forum’s delegation met the National Consensus Commission on 9 September. The Commission expressed support in principle but said political parties refused to raise women’s nomination quotas above 5 percent for the 2026 polls, citing a lack of “sufficiently qualified female candidates”.
Activists described this as a deeply regressive and unjust portrayal of women, who now comprise 51 per cent of the population and participate equally in education, work, and social movements.
The Forum also revealed it had formally requested, in a 10 September letter, that the National Consensus Commission convene a joint meeting with all political parties—an appeal that was rejected.
Moreover, they expressed frustration that their proposals were effectively ignored in the July Charter’s section on women’s representation.
The written statement further demanded amendments to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) to provide special state funding for all female candidates, whether party-nominated or independent. The allocation should match the ceiling for electoral expenses, thereby ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent qualified women from contesting elections.