TDS Desk:

The National Consensus Commission has proposed a revised plan to nominate women candidates in 7% of general parliamentary seats, while retaining the existing 50 reserved seats for women.

This revised proposal was presented on Wednesday during the 22nd day of the second phase of political dialogue held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.

According to the commission’s proposal, political parties contesting in elections must nominate women candidates in at least 7% of the seats they are contesting. For example, if a party contests 100 seats, at least 7 must be women candidates. If a party contests all 300 seats, it must nominate at least 21 women.

The Constitutional Reform Commission, previously, had proposed direct elections for 100 women’s seats. The Election Reform Commission also proposed a rotating system for directly electing 100 women MPs. While the National Consensus Platform (NCP) supported the rotating system for direct elections in 100 seats, the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Islami Andolon opposed it. Leftist parties like CPB, BASAD, and JSD supported direct elections in women’s seats.

Islamist parties, including Jamaat, supported allocating 100 women’s seats proportionally based on vote share. The BNP and its allies preferred maintaining the current system of 100 reserved seats.

In an earlier revised proposal on July 14, the commission had stated that any party nominating candidates in more than 25 seats must nominate women in at least one-third of those.

Most parties, however, opposed that proposal at the time. Later, during another session, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed proposed maintaining the current 50 reserved seats and nominating women in 5% of general seats for the upcoming election, increasing that to 10% in the following one.

On Wednesday, the commission presented a new proposal stating that women’s representation in Parliament would gradually increase to 100 directly elected seats. Necessary constitutional amendments would be made under Article 65(3) to retain the 50 reserved seats. From the next general election after the signing of the 2025 National Charter in July, all political parties must nominate women candidates in 7% of the constituencies they contest.

For the 14th National Election, political parties must nominate women in 15% of general seats. This percentage will increase by 5% in each successive general election, aiming for a total of 100 directly elected women MPs. By the 15th National Parliament, parties will nominate enough women candidates to ensure that 100 women are directly elected to Parliament.

In the 17th Amendment in 2018, the tenure of the 50 reserved women’s seats was extended by 25 years — meaning they will remain in place until 2043.