Women’s rights groups reject 50-seat plan

NN Online:
The Samajik Protirodh Committee, an alliance of 67 women’s rights, human rights, and development organisations, has rejected the proposal to maintain 50 reserved parliamentary seats for women through party nomination until 2043.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the platform said it was “deeply surprised” that political parties had agreed to what it termed a “regressive” proposal, asserting that Bangladeshi women are ready to contest reserved seats through direct elections.

During the National Consensus Commission’s dialogue with political parties, the reserved seat issue emerged as the most divisive. Leftist parties, including the Communist Party of Bangladesh and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, advocated for direct elections to 100 women’s seats, while the National Citizen Party suggested a rotational voting system. The BNP and allied parties backed keeping 100 reserved seats under the current system, with Jamaat-e-Islami and Islamist groups supporting proportional representation.

The Commission’s latest proposal recommends retaining the existing 50 reserved seats and requiring parties to nominate women for 7% of general seats in the next election, gradually increasing to 15% by the 14th parliamentary polls and then by 5% each election until women hold 100 directly elected seats.

Rejecting this, the Samajik Protirodh Committee called for expanding Parliament to 450 seats, with 150 reserved for women — all to be filled through direct constituency elections. “Bangladeshi women are ready to be directly elected, ensuring equal rights, dignity, and a meaningful role in Parliament,” the statement said, urging political parties to reconsider the consensus decision and the public to speak out for women’s political empowerment.