Women to contest 7pc of general seats, says NCC

Staff Reporter :

The National Consensus Commission (NCC) has introduced a new proposal requiring political parties to nominate women candidates in at least 7 per cent of general parliamentary constituencies in the forthcoming election, while retaining the existing 50 reserved seats for women.

NCC Vice Chairman Professor Ali Riaz presented the proposal on Wednesday during the 22nd day of the commission’s second-phase dialogue with political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.

The proposal represents a compromise amid significant divisions among political parties over the future of women’s parliamentary representation.

Previously, the now-defunct Constitution Reform Commission had recommended direct elections for 100 women occupying reserved seats. This idea was supported by parties such as the National Citizen Party (NCP), Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD), and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), which advocated for a rotation-based direct election system for 100 women MPs.

Islamist parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, preferred a proportional representation model for the 100 seats, while the BNP and its allies favoured retaining the existing system of 50 reserved seats without immediate changes.

On 14 July, the NCC proposed that any party fielding candidates in more than 25 constituencies should ensure that at least one-third of those candidates are women. However, this suggestion was widely rejected by major political parties.

In response, BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed offered an alternative: maintain the current 50 reserved seats while nominating women in 5 per cent of general seats in the next election, increasing this to 10 per cent by the 14th parliamentary election.

Building on this, the NCC’s latest proposal sets out a phased plan to directly elect 100 women MPs over three successive elections.

Under the proposal, once the July National Charter 2025 is signed, all political parties will be required to nominate women in 7 per cent of general constituencies at the next election. This quota will rise to 15 per cent by the 14th parliamentary polls and increase by five percentage points in each subsequent election cycle.

By the 15th national election, the number of women nominated in general seats is expected to suffice for the direct election of 100 female MPs, allowing the gradual phase-out of reserved seats.

The current system of 50 reserved seats for women, allocated proportionally among parties in parliament, was extended for 25 years under the 17th Amendment, passed on 8 July 2018. This provision, enshrined in Articles 65(3) and 65(3A) of the Constitution, will expire after the 14th parliament’s term unless further amended.

The NCC’s revised proposal aims to strike a balance-maintaining the existing framework for the time being while committing to a gradual, legally binding roadmap to enhance women’s representation through direct elections.