The Women’s Political Rights Forum has submitted six key demands to the Election Commission, including a mandatory requirement for political parties to nominate at least 33 percent women candidates in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The delegation, led by Mahin Sultan of the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission, met Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin and other commissioners at the Election Building in Dhaka on Tuesday.
The platform, which brings together several women’s organizations, also called for reforms to the electoral law, direct elections to reserved seats, stronger policies to prevent harassment of women candidates both online and offline, leadership opportunities for women within political parties, and the option of casting “no” votes in all seats. A written application was formally submitted to the Commission.
At a post-meeting briefing, Mahin Sultan said discussions were “very fruitful” and confirmed that the Commission has already moved toward including a 33 percent women’s representation target by 2030 in the Representation of the People Order (RPO). She stressed that “there are enough qualified women candidates” across the country, and urged political parties to take immediate steps to ensure equal participation of women in electoral politics.
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