Bangladesh's reform panel proposes 600 parliament seats to boost women's representation

Dhaka: Bangladesh's Women’s Affairs Reform Commission has 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, according to a media report on Saturday.

The current parliament of Bangladesh contains 350 seats, including 50 seats reserved for women.

The Commission, formed by the Interim government in November last year, submitted its report to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus earlier in the day, bdnews24.com reported.

Among 15 recommendations, the panel has made three major recommendations on the Constitution, the law and women's rights, stressing the need to strengthen the basis of equality and protection, it said.

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.

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.