Visible women, powerless politics
Source: New Age
THE recent election results in Bangladesh show that, while women are at the forefront, their presence is not translating into power. This is not a gender issue; it is a democracy issue.
In February 2026, only seven women were elected, representing 2.4 per cent of the elected members, with four seats still vacant, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Parline database. The participation of women candidates was also too low. Eighty-five women contested in the election, representing about 3.9 per cent of candidates. This appears an electoral politics still rigged against women. This is not an issue about the election results; it is about the message being sent to the people. Elections are meant to be the biggest audition for the people, and if women are not allowed to sit at the table, then they are not allowed to play.
Bangladesh prides itself on having 50 reserved seats for women. This is not about power; it is about descriptive representation. Even once the reserved seats are filled, the number of women will reach 57, or approximately 16 per cent of the total. The real issue is not about the number; it is about power.
This is why it is not enough to simply publish election results. The Election Commission has meticulously recorded election results by publishing the names of the elected candidates through official government gazettes. The Bangladesh Government Press has equally precisely recorded the entry of the February 2026 extraordinary government gazette. Clearly, the government has the administrative capability to achieve results with precision. The real question is whether it can develop the capacity to establish regulations that make women’s leadership electorally possible, not merely administratively possible.
THE recent election results in Bangladesh show that, while women are at the forefront, their presence is not translating into power. This is not a gender issue; it is a democracy issue.
In February 2026, only seven women were elected, representing 2.4 per cent of the elected members, with four seats still vacant, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Parline database. The participation of women candidates was also too low. Eighty-five women contested in the election, representing about 3.9 per cent of candidates. This appears an electoral politics still rigged against women. This is not an issue about the election results; it is about the message being sent to the people. Elections are meant to be the biggest audition for the people, and if women are not allowed to sit at the table, then they are not allowed to play.
Bangladesh prides itself on having 50 reserved seats for women. This is not about power; it is about descriptive representation. Even once the reserved seats are filled, the number of women will reach 57, or approximately 16 per cent of the total. The real issue is not about the number; it is about power.
This is why it is not enough to simply publish election results. The Election Commission has meticulously recorded election results by publishing the names of the elected candidates through official government gazettes. The Bangladesh Government Press has equally precisely recorded the entry of the February 2026 extraordinary government gazette. Clearly, the government has the administrative capability to achieve results with precision. The real question is whether it can develop the capacity to establish regulations that make women’s leadership electorally possible, not merely administratively possible.