DHAKA, 22 December 2004 — The government of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has deferred by 45 days elections to the 45 reserved seats for women in the Bangladesh Parliament.
The Cabinet at a meeting in Dhaka on Monday night approved a draft bill on promulgation of an ordinance to amend the Jatiya Sangsad (Reserved Seats for Women) Election Act, which came into effect on Dec. 8.
A Cabinet minister attending the meeting said the poll date has been deferred for several reasons. A writ petition filed by 13 women leaders against the act is said to be the major reason for the delay.
Moreover, the government is busy with the upcoming SAARC summit, he added.
According to the bill, election to the reserved seats in the present Parliament will be held within 90 days.
Section 6 (2) of the act, passed in Parliament on Nov. 29, provides for the Election Commission to hold the election to the women’s reserved seats within 45 days from the date the act comes into effect.
President Iajuddin Ahmed will soon promulgate the Jatiya Sangsad (Reserved Seats for Women) Election (Amendment) Ordinance, 2004 for amendment to Section 6 (2) of the act for holding the elections.
As Parliament is not in session now, the government will go for amending the act by an ordinance. The constitution empowers the president to promulgate an ordinance at any time when Parliament is not in session. The ordinance promulgated by the president will have the same force of law as an act of Parliament.
The draft of the ordinance was sent to the president yesterday for promulgation. The approved draft proposes change in section 6(2) of the act.
The draft suggests that the election to the reserved seats of the present Parliament be held within 90 days. The other provision regarding computing and distributing the reserved seats among the parties in the Parliament according to their proportional representation, however, will remain unchanged, and those procedures will continue in accordance with the act, sources said.
