Bangladesh parliament reform: Women's Commission pushes for 600 seats

The Women’s Affairs Reform Commission of Bangladesh has suggested expanding the number of seats in the parliament to 600, with one general seat for each parliamentary constituency and one allocated for women, according to a media source on Saturday.

There are 350 seats in Bangladesh’s current parliament, 50 of which are set aside for women.

Earlier in the day, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus received the Commission’s report, which was created by the Interim government in November of last year, according to bdnews24.com.

The panel stressed the need to fortify the foundation of equality and protection in its three main recommendations on women’s rights, the law, and the Constitution, out of its fifteen recommendations.

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In its report, the panel has asked to focus on decentralisation and local-level development to establish women’s interests and rights.

It recommended increasing the total number of seats in the parliament to 600, with one general seat for each parliamentary constituency and one reserved for women.

Upon receiving the report, Yunus directed authorities to implement those recommendations that can be carried out “immediately”.

“The recommendations that can be implemented quickly should be executed through us. We can set an example for other countries in the world through this work. Women around the world are looking at this. They will review it and be inspired. Women in other countries are also serious about this," Yunus was quoted as saying by the news portal.

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The Chief Adviser said the recommendations of the panel will also be presented to the political parties through the National Consensus Commission.

After submitting the report to Yunus, the Commission head, Shirin Parveen Haque, explained the reason for proposing 600 seats at a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy.

“If we think about the population, 300 seats are no longer sufficient. So 600 seats seem logical enough. Whether in a discussion or a debate, we believe 600 seats is not too many for this population.

“We must accept it if we want women to be a part of the legislature and make laws. We think it will create a fair and good process in politics,” she said.