How Are Bangladesh’s Parties Allocating Reserved Women’s Seats in Parliament? |
The Pulse | Politics | South Asia
How Are Bangladesh’s Parties Allocating Reserved Women’s Seats in Parliament?
The BNP’s nomination list reflects a pointedly inclusive approach, while Jamaat’s selections reveal its alliance with the NCP is here to stay.
The system of reserved seats for women in Bangladesh’s Parliament has long been criticized as a decorative tool used by party leaders to distribute political favors, rather than truly empowering women. Beyond gender-based empowerment, these seats also carry political significance. After the 13th national parliamentary election held in February, the allocation of the 50 seats under the women’s quota is not just a formality. It also gives an indication of the country’s political direction in the near future.
About one-and-a-half years after the July 2024 mass uprising, the national election was held on February 12 this year. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) came to power with a supermajority. In the absence of the Awami League, which fell during the uprising and has since been banned, the historically controversial but well-organized party Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has emerged as the main opposition by leading a coalition.
There are 350 seats in Bangladesh’s parliament. Of these, 300 members are directly elected by the people, as happened on February 12. The remaining 50 seats are reserved for women. These are distributed among parties in proportion to the number of seats they win (one woman’s seat for every six seats). Out of these 50 seats, the BNP-led alliance is set to get 36, and the Jamaat-led alliance 13. The one remaining seat will be chosen by independent MPs.
The BNP and Jamaat have already submitted their candidate lists to the Election Commission. The Election Commission has announced that voting for these seats will take place on May 12. In most cases, the names submitted by the parties are elected without any real contest.
From the nomination lists, it appears that the BNP is trying to present itself as a modern, rights-friendly, and “inclusive” party both nationally and internationally. On the other hand, Jamaat-e-Islami has chosen to give a portion of these seats to its alliance partners as a strategy to maintain unity.
This time, the BNP has nominated several individuals who are not directly part of party politics. For example, the list includes Sanzida Islam Tuli, coordinator of the platform “Mayer Dak” representing families of the disappeared, who is well known to international human rights organizations. The BNP has also nominated Anna Minj, a representative of the Orao ethnic group and a senior official of the international NGO BRAC. In addition, the party has brought in representatives from religious minorities, including Subarna Sikder from the Hindu community and Madhabi Marma from the Buddhist community. Through this, the BNP wants to reinforce its position as a liberal and inclusive party representing people of different religions and ethnic backgrounds.
Among the BNP’s list of women to take up reserved seats, 10 are former members of parliament, showing an emphasis on experience. Mansura Alam, a former student leader who was active in past movements, has also been nominated. However, this does not necessarily mean the BNP is strongly supportive of women’s participation in politics. Out of the 300 directly elected seats, BNP nominated women to run for only nine seats, and six of them won.
The BNP has used these seats to project an inclusive image by bringing in civil society leaders as well as indigenous and minority representatives. The main opposition also had a similar opportunity. Jamaat had nominated a Hindu candidate in the general election, but he did not win. Through........