National election and women: Will the gap between manifesto promises, implementation finally end?

If everything goes according to plan, Bangladesh’s long-awaited 13th national parliamentary election will be held within the next three months. Although there is still public uncertainty about how fairly the interim government will be able to conduct the election, political parties have already begun preparing vigorously. And as part of those preparations, we may soon receive their election manifestos. However, long before any formal manifesto announcements, we are already hearing various promises through speeches and public meetings.

Among these, a topic that has recently drawn particular discussion is political leaders’ positions on women’s rights and professional lives. For instance, regarding reducing the working hours of employed women, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s ameer, Shafiqur Rahman, has said that if the party comes to power, women’s work hours will be reduced from eight hours to five. He further stated, “Employers will pay for five working hours, and the government will pay wages for the remaining three hours. Those who do household work will be honoured as Ratnogarbha (mothers of value) mothers.”

Following the Jamaat ameer’s remarks, strong reactions have emerged across different segments of society and in the media. Other political parties are now commenting on how economically rational it would be to reduce working hours for the country’s massive female labour force or to subsidise wages.

In this regard, BNP’s acting chairperson Tarique Rahman has questioned, “By talking about reducing women’s working hours, are employers not being indirectly encouraged to avoid hiring female workers?” Not only that—he has also announced plans to establish daycare centers at workplaces across the country so that women are not forced to choose between family and profession.

On 20 November, Tarique Rahman mentioned five action plans to ensure women’s safety. These included a national online protection system, digital safety education in academic institutions, and several other important initiatives.

Meanwhile, in a recent speech, As-Sunnah Foundation chairman Shaykh Ahmadullah said that the credit for sending dowry practices into the museum in Bangladesh belongs solely to the Islamic scholars. Thus, it is evident that political leaders have already begun making strategic statements to win the support of nearly 130 million (13 crore) voters, half of whom are women. But the question remains: how much of these pre-election promises do political parties actually implement once they come to power?

In its 2001 election manifesto, the BNP pledged to increase the number of parliamentary seats to 500 and to expand women’s representation through direct elections. During its tenure, the party increased the number of reserved women’s seats in parliament from 30 to 45; later, the Awami League raised the number to 50.

In a section of its 2008 election manifesto, published before the polls, the BNP outlined its “achievements” from the five years following 2001. The party claimed that while in power, it provided women interested in business and self-employment with loans on easy terms and at low interest rates to promote empowerment and dignity. It also stated that women were given priority in employment and promotions.

Beyond this, the 2008 manifesto mentioned taking strict measures against dowry practices, acid attacks, and the trafficking of women and children, as well as continuing efforts to reduce maternal mortality to the minimum level. However, in its 2018 manifesto, BNP combined three sectors—youth, women, and children—and made several commitments, including ensuring women’s “fair” inheritance rights. It also pledged to examine existing contradictory laws. But the manifesto did not clarify what the term “fair” meant.

Additionally, BNP promised to support women’s advancement in sports and to adopt strict and effective legal measures against violence against women, dowry, acid attacks, sexual harassment, rape, and women and child trafficking.

In its manifesto for the 7th national parliamentary election in 1996, the Awami League pledged that, if elected, it would establish equal rights for women and children in accordance with the UN Human Rights Charter. Later, before the 9th parliamentary election in 2008, the party declared four commitments regarding women’s empowerment in its “Charter for Change.” These were: reinstating the 1997 “Women’s Development Policy” to guarantee women’s equal rights and opportunities; raising the number of reserved women’s seats in parliament to 33 per cent; taking strict legal measures to end violence against women; and, amending discriminatory laws and ensuring workplace safety for women.

The education and science section of the manifesto also mentioned continuing stipends to encourage women's education. According to the manifesto, the Awami League government reinstated the 1997 Women’s Development Policy in 2008 to ensure women's empowerment, equal rights, and opportunities. Additionally, the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act 2010, the prevention and suppression of human trafficking act 2012 , and the Pornography Control Act 2011 were enacted during this government’s tenure.

However, the Awami League failed to implement its pledges to introduce direct elections for reserved seats and to increase women’s parliamentary representation to one-third.

Moreover, in their manifestos for the 8th and 9th national elections, the Jatiya Party pledged to increase reserved women’s parliamentary seats from 30 to 64 through constitutional amendments. Ahead of the upcoming 2026 election, Jamaat-e-Islami is reportedly planning major changes to its final nomination list. Party policymakers have also stated that separate seats will be allocated for women and non-Muslims.

A review of election manifestos of various parties shows that women’s political empowerment receives the most emphasis. Increasing the number of reserved women’s seats and introducing direct elections repeatedly appear as commitments. Yet in reality, none of the political parties fulfilled the legal obligation under the 2008 amendment to the Representation of the People Order, which required them to ensure 33 per cent female participation at all levels by 2020.

Without ensuring women's social empowerment, the dream of political empowerment will remain nothing more than words printed on manifesto pages. In reality, the women of this country may still have to wait many more years to see it materialise. Therefore, in this election, every woman must carefully vote for a party that will play a genuine role in creating a supportive environment and taking the next step toward equality.

* Umme Wara is Associate Professor, Department of Criminology, University of Dhaka

* The opinions expressed are the writer’s own

** The op-ed originally published in the printed edition of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten in English by Farjana Liakat