Bangladesh's National Election Sees Alarming Drop in Women's Participation!

The 13th National Parliament Election of Bangladesh is set to take place on 12th February. However, women’s representation in this election has drawn significant disappointment from women’s rights activists and experts. According to the Election Commission (EC), a total of 1,981 candidates are competing for 300 seats in this election. However, women's participation is far from adequate. Among the total candidates, only 81 are women, which accounts for just 4.08%. This figure has been identified as disappointing in terms of women’s participation in the national election.

Women’s Representation: Promises vs Reality

As per the recommendations of the National Consensus Commission, it was suggested that each political party nominate at least 5% women candidates. Several parties agreed to this proposal, but in reality, this commitment has not been reflected. The National Citizen’s Party (NCP) had proposed nominating 10% women candidates, but ultimately, the 5% proposal was included in the July Accord. However, women’s rights activists have criticized that political parties have failed to honor their commitments even in the first phase.

Nominations & Candidates: Where Women’s Participation is Lacking

According to the Election Commission, there were 3,417 potential candidates for this election. Of them, 2,580 candidates submitted their nomination papers. After verification and appeal hearings, 436 candidates regained their eligibility. Later, 305 candidates withdrew their candidacies, bringing the final number of candidates to 1,981.

However, despite this, the number of candidates is still lower than the 12th National Parliament Election in 2018. In the 2018 election, the final number of candidates was 1,969, with 96 women candidates. In comparison, this year, the number of women candidates has decreased further, standing at only 81.

Historical Comparison of Women Candidates

In previous elections, the number of women candidates has been noticeably higher. For example, in the 2014 general election, there were 91 women candidates. In the 2018 election, this number increased slightly to 96. However, the current election, with only 81 women candidates, reflects a concerning decline, especially when compared to these previous years.

This reduction in women’s representation is seen as a setback in the progress that had been made over the past few elections. The trend of stagnation or decline raises questions about political will, the effectiveness of gender policies, and the support mechanisms for women candidates within political parties.

Regional Discrepancy in Women’s Representation

The Election Commission has divided the 300 seats into 10 administrative regions. There is a significant variance in the number of women candidates across these regions. The Dhaka region has the highest number of women candidates, with 23 women. On the other hand, the Barishal region has only 2 women candidates, which is a starkly disappointing figure for women’s participation.

Women Candidates in Political Parties

A total of 51 political parties are participating in this election, and 20 of these parties have women candidates. However, the party with the lowest number of women candidates is BNP, which has 288 male candidates and only 10 women candidates, representing just 3.47% of its total candidates. On the other hand, the Bangladesh Socialist Party (Marxist) has 34.48% women candidates, which is relatively good.

Independent Women Candidates

A total of 249 independent candidates are participating in the election, out of which 18 are women. This represents 7.22% of the total number of independent candidates, which is not insignificant, though it is still lower than the political parties' representation.

Legal Obstacles and Political Party Attitudes

Despite various legal and constitutional efforts to increase women’s participation and representation, political parties have failed to demonstrate the necessary commitment. Several women’s rights activists and experts have expressed concern that the attitude of the country’s leading political parties is acting as an obstacle to women’s political participation. Additionally, the proposed 33% target for women candidates has so far remained nothing more than a promise.