30 of 51 parties have no women candidates in election

Political parties have failed to keep even their minimum commitments to ensure women’s political participation in the upcoming general election, the Women’s Political Rights Forum, a coalition of 12 organisations, has alleged.

According to the forum, 30 out of 51 political parties contesting the election have no women candidates at all. Most parties have also failed to implement their declared minimum five percent nomination quota for women.

The allegations were made at a press conference titled Women candidate nomination crisis, gap between party commitments and implementation and Election Commission accountability held at the Sagar-Runi auditorium of Dhaka Reporters’ Unity on Monday.

Reading out the written statement, forum representative Ritu Sattar said women had sought nominations from political parties, but in reality female nominations remained within just five percent. Even where the option of joint women candidates existed, it was not used. She added that parties had also ignored the commitments made in the July Charter.

She said many political parties have capable and strong women leaders, but they are kept out of decision-making positions. Women are included in party committees, but not in the decision-making process, which reflects the real situation.

The forum said that although a few independent women candidates entered the race at the last moment, overall women’s participation remains deeply disappointing. It accused the Election Commission of failing to translate its talk of a gender-inclusive election into reality.

Forum leaders said they oppose reserved seats and want women to contest and win directly on merit.

They also said this is the lowest level of women’s participation in an election in 54 years, calling it a shame not only for women but for the entire political system. If political parties do not honour their own pledges, they asked, why should women trust them in the future.

Forum leader Samina Yasmin said women make up around 50 percent or more of voters, raising the fundamental question of whether anyone can really come to power by excluding half the electorate.

She added that the challenges faced by women candidates are being monitored and the issue will be discussed with the Election Commission. She also said it will be examined whether legal or institutional action can be taken if parties fail to meet the 33 percent target for women’s representation.