Women’s Affairs Reform Commission recommends increasing parliamentary seats for women to 300

The commission has also recommended the reserved seats for women be elected through direct voting

The 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.

The commission, formed by the interim government, has recommended elections in both cases and believes the recommendation can be implemented during the interim government’s tenure.

Commission head Shirin Parveen Haque made these remarks while presenting their recommendations at a press conference after submitting the commission report to Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on Saturday.

Upon receiving the report, the chief advisor instructed the relevant ministries and departments to swiftly implement the commission’s recommendations that could be carried out “immediately”.

The commission 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 also proposed to improve the institutional structure and efficiency of national organisations for women's advancement.

The interim administration formed the reform commission on Nov 18, 2024, appointing Shirin, founder member of the women’s rights group Nari Pokkho, as its head.

After submitting the report to the chief advisor, Shirin explained the reason for proposing 600 seats at a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy.

She said, “When people heard we were proposing 600 seats, many said 600 chairs could not be placed in the main hall of the current parliament building.

“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.”