Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami will not nominate any women as direct candidates in the upcoming election, Jamaat’s Naib Amir Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher confirmed on Tuesday. Speaking to journalists at a party policy summit in Dhaka, Taher said that while Jamaat itself is not fielding women candidates, there are female candidates within its political alliance.
Explaining the absence of women nominees from the party, Taher said discussions at the consensus commission had proposed reserving 5 to 15 percent of seats for women’s direct participation in elections. Jamaat, he said, has agreed to the proposal—but only if it becomes law. Until then, the party does not consider itself obligated to nominate women candidates directly.
Taher added that if such a legal provision is enacted, Jamaat would “be obligated” to field women candidates. His statement effectively frames women’s political participation not as a political commitment or democratic responsibility, but as a conditional requirement dependent on state enforcement rather than party principle.
The Jamaat leader also outlined the party’s election strategy, emphasizing door-to-door campaigning over digital outreach, which he said would be conducted only within the limits set by the Election Commission. On governance, he claimed that if Jamaat comes to power, ministers would be selected based on qualifications rather than party affiliation—while offering no clarification on how women would be represented in such a framework.
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