Commission proposes 600 seats in JS to increase women’s representation

The Women's Affairs Reform Commission has recommended doubling the parliamentary seats to 600 in a view to increase women's representation.

The commission submitted its report to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna on Saturday (April 19).

The Women's Affairs Reform Commission, chaired by Shireen Parveen Haque, a founding member of Nari Pokkho, comprises 10 members.

The report said that if it is decided to have an upper house in the National Parliament, the women and men candidates will be nominated by different political parties in a proportional ratio for 50 percent of the seats. So that an equal number of women and men are nominated from each party. In the remaining 50 percent of the seats, 5 seats should be kept for representatives of women's movements among other groups on a non-partisan basis.

It further states, the recommendations were made to promote democratic practices and create a conducive environment for women's participation in political parties, to formulate rules to remove social and corruption-related obstacles in politics and to make it mandatory to comply with the provisions on women's participation in RPOs.

To ensure women's representation at the local government level, there will be one general seat and one women's seat in each ward. This system will be applicable in the next three local government elections as a temporary special measure. It has also been recommended to establish a system to make women members of parliament accountable to the women's society.