CEC Nasir aims to hold ‘gender-friendly’ national election

Nasir Uddin says updated data reveals sharp rise in women voters

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin has expressed a desire to make the parliamentary polls “gender-friendly”, citing previous gaps in female voter registration.

Speaking on Tuesday afternoon at the Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka’s Agargaon, during a dialogue with women’s rights activists, the CEC said the EC’s goals go beyond holding “free, fair and credible polls”.

“Just as we speak of free, fair and credible elections, I want to add something from my side -- a gender-friendly election,” he told the session.

Referring to Bangladesh’s demographic balance, Nasir said the number of women on the voter roll had long fallen short of expectations.

“You’ll be surprised to know there were over 3 million fewer women voters than men. That’s not normal,” he added.

He pointed to possible reasons behind the gap. “We realised something had gone wrong among female voters. In most cases, it may have occurred in remote areas. People had lost interest in elections -- possibly due to a lack of trust in the process.”

The latest voter list update, he said, has significantly closed the gap between male and female voters.

“This time, the number of female voters has risen sharply. The 3 million gap has come down to 1.8 million,” the CEC added.