DHAKA: The number of women running in Bangladesh’s Dec. 29 parliamentary polls has risen compared to previous national elections, according to records. Rights activists called it an encouraging trend to promote the rights of women.
The Election Commission validated candidacies of 55 women for the polls to return the South Asian nation to a democratic system, ending nearly two years of emergency rule. A total of 1,565 candidates compete for the 300 seats in Bangladesh’s Parliament.
The candidates include two former prime ministers, Hasina Wajed and Khaleda Zia, who have led lead the country’s main political parties, Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party, for nearly three decades.
Hasina is the heir of Bangladesh’s founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated in a military putsch in 1975. Khaleda is the widow former President Ziaur Rahman, killed by army officers in 1981.
A total of 38 women candidates contested in 46 parliamentary seats in the 2001 elections. Bangladesh’s Constitution reserves 45 seats for women in the 300-member Parliament.
Ayesha Khanam, chief of the Mahila Parisad (Women’s Council), called it a good sign that parties are nominating more women for office. “But still we have a long way to go since most women are still unaware about their rights,” she said.
Violence, negligence and discrimination against women are frequent in the patriarchal society, she said. The female voters outnumbered males for the first time in Bangladesh history, according to voter rolls published by the Election Commission. Out of a total of 81,058,698, voters 41,236149 are women.
Meanwhile, India urged Bangladesh yesterday to stop militants using its territory to launch attacks against Indian targets and to bring members of a banned Islamist group to justice. India has been hit by a wave of militant attacks recently which have killed more than 300 people.
“Bangladesh must realize that in the long run it is hurting itself if it does not enjoy good relations with India,” said Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram.
India has said the Harkat-ul-Jihad Al-Islami (HuJI) group orchestrated bombings in the oil- and tea-producing state of Assam in October, killing 82 people and wounding hundreds. The group has often been suspected of attacks on Indian cities.
“The government of Bangladesh has the duty to control the activities of HuJI and to apprehend its leaders responsible for the terrorist activities,” Chidambaram told India’s Parliament.
