The number of female candidates in the 13th national elections scheduled for February 12 has, as the final candidature list published by the Election Commission on January 22 shows, dropped to only 3.93 per cent. Of the 1,981 candidates, only 78 are women: 63 from 19 political parties and 15 independents. This figure is lower than the 5.10 per cent, or 98 candidates, seen in the 12th national elections. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party has fielded the highest number of female candidates, nominating 11 women. The Socialist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist) has fielded the second highest with nine nominations; Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD and Insaniyat Biplob Bangladesh have nominated six each and the Jatiya Party five. The Socialist Party of Bangladesh and Ganasamhati Andolan have fielded four women each while Gono Odhikar Parishad has nominated three and the National Citizen Party and Revolutionary Workers Party have nominated two each. The Communist Party of Bangladesh, Republican Party of Bangladesh, Islamic Front Bangladesh, Amjanatar Dal, Bangladesh Labour Party, Nagorik Oikko, Bangladesh Muslim League, Amar Bangladesh Party and National People’s Party have each nominated one female candidate. Regionally, Dhaka has the highest number of female contestants.
Such low participation of women exposes a familiar and troubling reality. This is particularly discouraging in the aftermath of the July uprising, when women were at the forefront, facing bullets and attacks. It was expected that the post-July political parties would allow more space, and create an enabling environment, for women’s participation in politics. However, the final list provides a sobering contrast to those expectations. It is also disappointing that while 27 parties, including the major ones, agreed to nominate women for at least 5 per cent of their total candidacies, they have failed to adhere to their own agreement. With only 11 candidates, women account for a mere 3.82 per cent of the BNP’s 288 nominees while another major party, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, has not nominated a single woman. All this highlights the chronic under-representation of women in politics. Experts argue that women’s political empowerment is hindered by interconnected structural, financial and socio-cultural barriers, including patriarchal and opaque party nomination processes, electoral violence and unequal access to resources. Deep-rooted gender norms and domestic burdens further restrict women’s participation. This exclusion is, moreover, not limited to electoral nominations. It pervades the broader architecture of post-uprising governance and the reform landscape.
Equal political participation for women is essential for a genuine democratic dispensation. There might be more reserved seats, but they do not necessarily confer power. For the genuine political empowerment of women, political parties must reform their internal structures to allow more women to come forward and the state should act decisively on long-ignored recommendations to create an enabling atmosphere that encourages women in politics.
