Half The Population, Barely On Ballots: Bangladesh Political Parties Shut Women Out Of Election Race | World News

DHAKA: Bangladesh Election Commission data has revealed that women are largely absent from the electoral race as 30 of the 51 political parties contesting the upcoming national elections have not fielded any women candidates, local media reported on Tuesday. The figures highlight a glaring disparity; Although women make up half of the population, they are significantly underrepresented among candidates.

According to a report by Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star, of the 2,568 candidates participating in the February 12 polls, only 109 percent (4.24 percent) were women, 72 were nominated by political parties, and the rest were independents.

Reports suggest that radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, which fielded 276 candidates without a single woman, was excluded, followed by Islamic Andolan Bangladesh with 268 candidates.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which has been led by a woman for over 40 years, has allotted tickets to only 10 of the 328 candidates running for 300 seats.

Several parties, including the Bangladesh Khilafat Assembly with 94 candidates, the Khilafat Majlis with 68 candidates, and the Bangladesh Islamic Front (BIF) with 27 candidates, excluded women entirely and fielded only male candidates.

According to Jesmin Tuli, former additional secretary of the Election Commission and member of the Electoral Reform Commission, the electoral process in Bangladesh is overwhelmingly male-dominated.

“Elections are not women-friendly,” she said, highlighting that while major parties nominate very few women, the smaller parties imitate them.

She added that financial constraints, social norms and lack of support further deter women from entering the race.

“Most women who come forward come from political families. Very few rise through grassroots activism,” he said, highlighting that political parties have failed to develop women’s confidence or meaningfully include them in party committees.

Munira Khan, president of the Bangladesh Fair Election Monitoring Alliance, called the situation “extremely frustrating”.

“Women make a significant contribution to the economy and make up half the population, but their representation in parliamentary candidacies is negligible,” he said.

“We shout about democracy all the time, but this picture of internal democracy within political parties is profoundly disappointing,” she added, questioning whether parties truly implement rules for including women in their structures.

Bangladesh has been grappling with a rise in violence against women and children since the interim government led by Mohammed Younis came to power, and critics warn that the exclusion of women from decision-making is a serious concern.