SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS OF WOMEN'S REPRESENTATION IN NATIONAL POLITICS Bangladesh has made emakable pogess afte the 2008 elections in inceasing epesentation of women in Paliament to sixty-nine membes. lnceasing the numbe the five leading political paties in the county namely: The Awami League (AL); Bangladesh Nationalist Paty (BNP); Jatiya Paty (JP-Eshad), Jamaat-E-lslam and Jatiya Samajtantik Dal (JASOD). The pape examines how the political paties, both ight and left wings, have addessed women's political epesentation issues in of women in Paliament and placing women to key positions such as the ecent appointment of a women Speake fo the fist time eve in the histoy of Bangladesh, showed the commitment of then govenment to women's political empowement. Howeve, despite the numbes and national positions, women ae less visible in tems of positions occupied within the political paties. The numbe of women the ecommendations made by the Election Commission on women's epesentation. The objectives of this pape ae nominated as candidate fo geneal seats is also small. two fold: Only 59 women (in 64 seats) out of 1567 total candidates, contested in the 2008 elections (gtt'' thei political agenda. ln addition, the pape also highlights how fa these paties ae able to bing changes within thei paty stuctue accoding to a. Review of stategies used by the govenment and the political paties to incease women's epesentation in national politics. b. Review of status of women's epesentation at all Paliamentay Election Repot, 201 1). The Election Commission has ecommended 33% of women's epesentation within egisteed political paties in the Repesentation of People's Odinance 2008 (second amendment). The pupose of intoducing quota system is to incease the pesence of women in fomal politics leading to a tansfomation of politics by binging diffeent views and values into it. An undelying objective is that woman will gain the position needed to change and enegotiate gende oles which ultimately wlll lead to gende equity, equality and also political empowement. Keeping this in mind, this bief aims to examine the patten of women's epesentation within the leading political paties in Bangladesh. The pape has selected decision-making levels within the political paties. ln ode to do this, the pape eviews the paty declaations, election manifestos, paty stuciues and level of women's pesence within five diffeent political paties as mentioned above. The election manifestos and constitution of a political paty get out thei commitment on specific issues that they would like to implement in ode to impove paticula conditions if they come to powe. Theefoe, the political paties caefully place thei commitment befoe the population with special consideation to public demand. Political paties also put emphasis on existing demands placed by the women
Situotionol Anolysis of Women,S Repesenioiion ln Notionol Politics oganizations in ode to ensue women political empowement. Theefoe, the election manifestos along with the pady constitutions, ae cucial to undestand the agenda of the political paties and how they see women,s epesentation and its impotance fo the development of City Copoation- (2008 elections) 194 (2.4 pecent) women contested fo 39 eseved councilo's seats 120 (0.47 pecent) women contested in the county. This technical bief also eviews the existing national laws and policies in place that egulate Pouashavas nine Repesentation of people Odinance 1972 (amended up political to 12 Novembe 2008) ('RpO 200g,) is an ovesight mechanism to implement egulations of the electoal society expets Ayesha Khanum, pesident, Mahila that a egisteed paty must meet in ode to qualify to paticipate in the National Election as a political pity, *om"nl, paticipation which include; the Constitution, RpO. Futhemoe, two inteviews wee caied out with civil Paishad and Rounaq Jahan, political Scientist, Distinguished Fellow CpD and Visiting pofesso Columbia Uniyesity, Ny. o Pcpotion of Women,s Repesentation in Paliament (2013) Oceania & Caibbean 16"; \\ /,/,,* / 13%+ 33% epesentation within the political paties as conditions of paty egistation. The political paties 11o/" 1 10/o / Southen Asia 12%.+Asia 90(b)(ii)- to fix the goal of eseving at least 33% of all committee positions fo women including the cental committee and pogessively achieving this goal by the yea 2020; elections and esevation of 33% seats in paliament and Nothen Aftica 90(b)(i)- to elect the membes of the committees at all levels including membes of the cental committee; The Election Commission poposed women's diect Y"",:,:li Caucasus & Cental Asia Easien Asia namely: o THE PRESENT STATE OF T'VOMEN'S REPRESENTATION IN NATIONAL POLIT!CS: 4oA Latin Ameican.-----\ laws and ules. Aticle 90B specifies some chaacteistics objected and the justification given fo thei objection was that thee is a lack of capable women politiciani within the paties and to develop thei political expelise they would need moe time. On the basis of the equest by the political paties, the Election Commission extended the time peiod to 2020 to each the taget of 33% of women's South-Easten epesentation within paties (Sumi & Rekha: 2009)" i2ol The fouteenth amendment to the Constitution allowed fo an incease in women's paticipation in political decision-making by inceasing eseved seats fom 30 to 45 in Paliament, which was inceased to 50 though the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution. The popotion of women's epesentation in the gth paliament (200S) is about 18%. The following table pesents the numbe of women public epesentatives at diffeent making levels: decision_ Paliament 18.5 pecent women in 9th paliament 57 women in vaious paliamentay Committees Standing Cabinet 6 women out of 43 membes Union Paishad- (2003 elections) 22 women chaipesons elected out contestants of 232 total 79 women (out of 617 women candidates) won geneal seats. in Total 39,419 women candidates contested fo 12,684 eseved seats Upazila Paishad- (Januay 2009 elections), 480 women elected fo eseved seats of chaipeson vice_ The RPO also includes conditions fo a candidate,s nomination. Any nominated candidate is equied to submit a cetificate fom thei espective paty in suppot of thei candidatue. The nomination poceis seeks to ensue that political paties pactice intenal democacy (Aticle 90B, Clause 1b (iv). lt also egulates legal teneti to ovesee the financial accounting of political paties. Pivate and copoate donations to any political paty and to individual candidates ae allowed unde the law but thee ae limits on the amount. Accoding to the latest vesion of RPO 2013, the limit is up to a maximum of Tk 2.5 million in a constituency (which was peviously 1.5 million in 2008). ln case of paties the highest
pemissible amount spent by a paty depends on the numbe of candidates fom the espective paty, is inceased to 50 lakhs in 2013 which was 25 lakhs pe E* Nomination submitted in 2001 paty, peviously. * Pecentage of women candidate in election 2001 The EC povides ules elating to egulation, monitoing and disclosue of political finance. Two to seven yeas g total numbe of Contestant in E ection 2008.' igoous impisonment with fine will be imposed if the candidates contavene the povisions of 448 (Obligation of documentation of expenses, limit of expenses and the mode of spending (Aticle 73)). Numbe of Women Contestant in 2008 Pecentage of women in 200a Souce: Election Commission Repoft (2013) Special Repesenfafib n,of Wamen Recommended political paties to incopoate women into thei potitical.. paties. The is consistent with the.: Constitution, Aticle 9 which states: 'The State shall e-ncouage lac;at govenment institutions ' ' composed of epelentativeg. of the aeas cancen d'.and., in' such institufons specla/ ' epiesentatio,n s116y Pu give'n as fa as possible to ecommendation : p e a santsi;' wake s And wom e n.''' The selection of paty candidates is the most impotant detemining facto towads women's paticipation in politics. Political paties play a vital ole and a significant oute fo women enteing into politics. The nomination pocess of a candidate by any political paty is supposed to be done fom the lowe levels of paty hieachy as ecommended in the RPO. Howeve, the selection of candidates fo the elections is geneally done centally within the political paties and the paticipation of women in the election pocess has lagely been dependent on the attitudes of the political leades about how much The RPO ecommends that paties adopt pactices and up hold cetain basic pinciples such as nonto incease discimination; tough financial contols tanspaency in paty opeations and inclusion of women inside the paty leadeship. All of these can effectively suppot women enteing into national politics. Theefoe, the effective implementation of the RPO is vey significant fo women to wok effectively in such systems. Political paties play an impotant ole in shaping women's epesentation in politics. The following gaph shows the numbe of women who contested fom the five political paties in 2001 and 2008 elections: suppot to give aspiant women politicians. As mentioned in a UNDP Bangladesh epot on the 9th Paliamentay Elections, "while some political paties did seek the input of local committees, the final decisions on selection ae taken fom the cental committee." ln geneal, the cental membes of the political paties usually do the selection of a candidate fo the eseved seats o nomination fo diect elections. Cental committees ae mainly dominated by the male politicians. lnteview with Ayesha Khanun Pesident, Bangladesh Mohila Paishad Septembe 25,2013 Unequal powe shaing between men and women exits in ou society as well as within the political paties. ln ode to ' 2001 Total Candidates 2001 Female Candidates 2008 Totaj Candidates E 2008 Female Candidates.f'J ".'.S'C,o\' <d.o{{sl'su 9'* "."."t^f" 9S o9"' Souce: Election Commission of Bangladesh webslfe, accesse d in July 201 3. On an aveage, out of 1567 candidates nominated by diffeent political paties, thee wee only 64 women constituting about 4.08 pecent of the total candidates who contested in the 2008 elections, which is the highest pecentage of women candidates in any Bangladesh election. bing such change, political paties have to be moe tanspaent, aceountable, gende sensitive and need to incease democatic pactices inside the paty. The existing kind of politics (use of muscle powe and money) and stuctue of political paty (mafe domination) need to be changed. The selection pocess, citeia of a political epesentative and oveall qualification of a leade, ae not clealy witten in the paty constitution. Thee is no accountability in the selection pocess. Political paties must bing change in the pocess. Fundamental change equies in the electoal pocess. Political paties failed to use women as a political foce. Pesent govenment is successful inceasing numbes of women in Cabinet, but it has not been fomalized yet. Ou Female MPs has to be moe gende sensitive. They ae busy making thei leades happy and ae not inteested talking about women's issues elated to thei needs and inteests. As the selection (fo both diect election and selection though quota) pocess is iotally depended on paty chiefs attitude, theefoe eveyone busy making thei leades happy. This cultue needs to change. ln addition, taking pat in the electjons equies adequate finances, political netwoks and capacity. Women's epesentation in Bangladesh is also challenging as they have to contest diectly against men fo a seat in the elections, which puts women at a disadvantage position
Situqtionol Anolysis o{ Women'S Repesentotion ln Notionol Politics because of thei lowe educational achievemenis, lack of economic esouces and taditional social noms and attitudes. with: lrounaq Jahan, :Distinguis'hed Fellow, Cente fo Policy Dialogue (CPD) lnteview Septembe 11,2013 Hunded and eleven men ae in the National Executive Committees of BNP, wheeas thee ae only six. AL has Why aqe thee so few women in decision making 12 pecent women in the Cental Executive Committees (9 in numbe). The lists of women membes of Jamaat ae not available and the extent of epesentation inside the paty leadeship is not clea. The actual numbe of women membes in each political paty is difficult to detemine as sex disaggegated data is not fully maintained. The following table shows the distibution of women's epesentation within the majo five political paties. List of women membes in the paty hieachy of five majo political paties in Bangladesh: What should the Election commission do to pomote womenls epesentation? '' I t,::t:..,l:. :'llf the RPO.equiies the patieg by 2020:to achieve 33 :pecent esevatior fo women, the EC will have to tack this:, it ivilf have to be,.'able to' demand answes fom political paties if,the,paties have failed to *ake necessay measues," WOMEN'S INTEREST IDENTIFIED IN PARTY GONSTITUTION Souce: Fom the websites of all the political pafties, accessed Sepfem be, 201 3 The constitutions of the majo five political paties show Women emain baely vlsible with espect to political powe and position occupied within the political paties. Women ae usually given positions in committees taditionally consideed to be women's domain such as education, health, women and childen committees. Women ae less likely to be pesent in economics, budget, and foeign affais committees within these five political paties. Howeve, pesently, Hon" Dipu Moni, Foeign Ministe and peviously Hon Shiin Shameen, Speake wee been esponsible fo the foeign policy issues and intenational affais desk on behalf of AL. None of the political paties have been able to ensue the taget of 33% of women's epesentation in the political paties as ecommended in the RPO o ae on tack to achieve this by 2020. None of the political paties incopoated any ideas o steps in thei last election manifestos to incease women's capacity fo epesentation o to eflect women's political needs, such as the issues of financial suppot fo election campaigns and capacity development of women at the gassoois levels. howeve emphasises the impotance of women's empowement in its constitution. lt has committed itself to ensuing women's empowement by emoving all kinds of violence against women, by peseving women's ights and by ensuing women's paticipation in all sphees of public life. The Jatiya paty declaed that it would ensue women's paticipation in povety eadication (Jatiya Paty Constitution). Bangladesh Jamaat-E-lslam declaed that it would ensue women's ights based on Shaia Law and lslamic values (Jamaat-E-lslam Constitution). None of the ecommendations on women's political paticipation given by both the CEDAW committee (2011) and EC to the political paties, addessed by none of the political paties. Moeove, political paties do not have any plan of action and have no ecommendations fo legal o electoal efoms in thei paty declaation o in election manifestos. Although RPO puts limit on campaign financing, in eality money decides the ule of the game. Effeciive use of RPO povisions that thee is little emphasis on gende equality at the paty level. The Bangladesh Nationalist Paty stesses the pinciple of fundamental human ights as thei paty objective and aim. lt also states that it will make pope and ealistic utilisation of all 'manpowe' including women and youth'. Thee is no mention of women's advancement o political empowement. The Bangladesh Awami League to contol election finances could facilitate women's paticipation in politics. Howeve the RPO does not have any monitoing and enfocement mechanism egading post-egistation conditions descibed in Aticle 90B (1) (b) of the RPO. As a esult, the povisions on election financing may be violated. ELECTION MANIFESTOS OF POLITICAL PARTIES,2OO8: All five political paties have sections in the election manifestos to explain the positions of thei paty fo ensuing women's inteests and needs. The thee of them (BNP, Jatiya Paty, Jamaat-e-islam) deal with women development issues along with childen issues
and put them in the same section. They entitled them as 'Women's and Childen's Rights' issues. The National Socialist Paty (JASOD) has a clea policy appoach to incease women's political paticipation. They mention demolishing all kinds of disciminatoy policies towads women, eintoducing None of the political paties except JASOD mentioned changing taditional pespectives towads women in thei manifestos. Only JASOD identifies inclusive education to emove pevailing steeotypes towads women and addesses the ole of media to sensitize society towads gende issues. The est of the political paties stessed and local level. JASOD also pomised to ensue 33% of women epesentation within the political paty and in tade unions. The Awami League highlighted thei ole in thei ole in impoving women's access to education though a women stipend pogan but did not mention access to special capacity development taining to empowe them politically. The othe impotant issues of the 1997 Women Policy, inceasing 33% women's epesentation at the Paliament inceasing women's esevation in paliament and initiatives to ecuit women at the highest position at the paty administation level. But the povision of diect elections, which is identified by many as a pathway towads women's political empowement, was not mentioned in thei election manifesto. Only JASOD highlighted the impotance of women's diect elections both at the national and local levels. BNP inteestingly avoided contovesial issues like'esevation of seats', 'diect elections', but athe addessed women's political empowement issues indiectly by saying,"to ensue positive condition fo women to incease thei political paticipation and to influence the decision making pocess in the national Paliament" in its paty documents. Thee is no mention of how to do this. AL and JASOD clealy mentioned thei stategic position towads women's equal ights and towads ensuing in politics. The AL tageted achieving the goal of 33o/o of women's epesentation by 2021 and Jatiya Paty in next ten yeas The emaining thee of them BNP, Jamaat-E-lslam and the Jatiya Paty did not clealy spell out thei stategic position in ensuing women's active paticipation in the politics. women's paticipation Bangladesh Election Commission. 2010. A Statistical Repot on 9th Paliamentay Election 2008. Election Commission: Dhaka. Bangladesh Election Commission. 2013. gth Paliamentay Election Repot" Bangladesh Election Commission: Dhaka. Begum, Afoza. 2012. Women's paticipation in union paishads: a quest fo a compassionate legal appoach in Bangladesh fom an intenational pespective" Univesity of Wollongong. Citizen lnitiatives on CEDAW- Bangladesh (CiC- BD). 2010. The combined Sixth and Seventh Altenative Repot to the UN CEDAW Committee. Dhaka, Bangladesh. Democacy Watch. 2009. Repesentation and Violence against Women in Politics in Bangladesh. A suvey epot. Bangladesh. Democacy Watch: Dhaka. D. Nazneen, Sohela & Tasneem, Sakiba. 2010. A Silve Lining: Women in Reseved Seats in Local Govenment in Bangladesh. IDS Bulletin Volume Institute of Development Studies: Blackwell Publishing Ltd., Oxfod D. Nazneen, Sohela. 2009. Bangladesh: Political Paty Discouses and Women's Empowement. South Asian Jounal. D. Nepali, K", Rohit & Shestha, Pakash (eds). 2012. Unfolding the Realities: Silenced Voices of Women in Politics. South Asia Patneship (SAP) lntenational: Kathmandu. Gopalan, Jayalakshmi. 2012. Women in Politics in South Asia. Backgound pape seies by PRAJNYA Resouce Cente on Women in Politics and Policy Hashmi, R. Kaim & Aminuzzaman, M Salahuddin. 2010. Women Status in Electoal pocess: National Paliamentay Election 2008. egading the financial suppot fo election campaign and capacity development of women at the gassoots ae not placed in any of thei manifestos. Goncluding Remaks Only by inceasing women's epesentation within paties and inceasing thei numbes in the vaious decisionmaking committees, can paties epesent women's inteests bette. Both men and women politicians have to be willing and able to epesent women and women's inteests. Futhemoe those women must also eceive suppot fom thei politicians when they act o wok fo women's inteests. Nevetheless, legislative changes have ceated oppotunities fo women to lean politics and to incease thei visibility. Political paties ae yet to ceate the stong political gound necessay to impoving the situation of women in Bangladesh. The inceased quality of women's paticipation in politics and effective paticipation in decision making bodies will open up moe spaces fo women to be able to contibute to national development and women's empowement. Bangladesh Nai Pogati Sangha: Dhaka Hust, Evelin. 2002. Political Repesentation and Empowement: Women in the lnstitutions of Local Govenment in Oissa afte the 73d Amendment to the lndian Constitution. Heidelbeg Papes in South Asian and Compaative Politics. Woking Pape No. 6 M. R. Khan & F. Aa. 2006. Women Paticipation and Empowement in Local Govenance: Bangladesh Union Paishad Pespective', Asian Affais, Vol.XXIX, no.1 Paxton, Pamela & Hughes, M. Melanie. 2007. Women, Politics, and Powe: A Global Pespective. Pine Fige Pess, USA. Planning Commission Ministy of Planning. 2011. Acceleating Gowth and Reducing Povety: PART 1 Stategic Diections and Policy Famewok. Sixth Five Yea Plan FY 2011-2015. Govenment of Bangladesh: Bangladesh. Ramil, Rashila, Lubi, Elisa & Djanaeva, Nugul. 2005. Setting and Seatings: Stategies fo Women's Political Paticipation in Asia Pacific.Asia Pacific Foum on Women, Law and Development. Shehabuddin, Eloa. 2008. Jamaati-lslami in Bangladesh: Women, Democacy and the Tansfomation of lslamist Politics. Moden Asian Studies 42. Cambidge Univesity Pess Sumi,Sahnaz & Rekha, Dilaa (ed. Kabee Rokeya). 2009. Election Manifestos and Women in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Nai Pagoti Sango: Dhaka. The Reseaches and Women and Politics in Asia Foum. 2009. Women and Politics in Asia: An Engende Election Repot: A epot on Paliamentay Elections Bangladesh 2008. The Reseaches and Women and Politics in Asia Foum
ISSN: 2308-4979 F::L:!i*h** L3," Cente of Gende and Social Tansfomation (CGST) BRAC Development lnstitute (BDl), BRAC Univesity 66 Mohakhal i CA, Dhaka 1 21 2, T elephone'. A2-8824051 -4, ExtEmail- cgst@bacu.ac.bd Website- http://www. bacu.ac. bd/secetaiat. #: K##& The Asia Foundation BR^l ' 'x.' 4 1 22 I tl tn n I llittnil RltltttLn ti I N l0 nt u t I i IttItln,l,11,,,,,], Design & Pintng by: Real Pinting &Advelising, Tel: 0168 6751 007