Women’s participation must increase for sustainable democracy: CEC

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Monday said that greater and effective participation of women is essential for strengthening and sustaining democracy in Bangladesh.
“We cannot consolidate democracy by keeping half of the country’s population outside the democratic process. Women’s participation must be increased to ensure an effective and sustainable democracy,” he said at a workshop titled “Draft Gender Equality Strategy”, organised by the UN Electoral Project at the Electoral Training Institute in Agargaon, Dhaka.
“If we want to make democracy credible and sustainable, ensuring the participation of 50% of the country’s citizens is indispensable,” he said.
The CEC said that a large number of women voters are expected to participate in the upcoming local government elections but the number of women candidates is likely to remain low due to prevailing social norms and beliefs. “People do not easily accept change. When we try to bring about change, we think ten times before doing so. Therefore, institutions need to be strengthened and extensive awareness must be created,” he said.
Nasir Uddin said that women should have adequate opportunities and participation in elections.
He said that the upcoming local government elections would be highly competitive as candidates, being local residents, make maximum efforts to bring voters to polling centres.
“Past statistics show that voter participation in local government elections is usually high. However, it is also true that the number of women candidates in local elections remains very low,” he said.
Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said that Bangladesh has strong laws to protect women, but legal measures alone would not be enough to ensure their rights. “A social revolution is also needed to protect women’s rights,” he said. Election Commissioner Tahmida Ahmed said the root causes of the problems need to be addressed.
“To increase women’s participation as voters, we need to reach rural and coastal areas,” she said. Election Commissioner Anwarul Islam Sarkar said that the process of voter registration for women should be made easier to ensure gender equality.
“Harassment of women voters and candidates must be stopped, and equal opportunities should be created for women candidates,” he said. Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said that women have many opportunities to become involved in Bangladesh’s democratic process, including reserved seats in local government.