Bangladesh

In accordance with the constitutional amendment (Fifteenth Amendment Act) passed by parliament on 30 June 2011, the number of seats reserved for women in parliament has increased from 45 to 50, bringing the total number of seats to 350.

On 16 May 2004, the constitutional amendment was passed to reintroduce quotas for women. (Article 65) The number of seats in parliament was raised from 300 to 345,of which the additional 45 seats (13 percent) are reserved for women. The seats are allocated to parties in proportion to their overall share of the vote. This quota system replaces the previous quota law which expired in 2001.

Until 2001 a system of reserved seats for women was used, reserving 30 seats out of 330 to women (chosen by indirect election by the 300 directly elected MPs). This quota system was first introduced by the 1972 Constitution (originally providing for 15 reserved seats for women, out of 315 seats, for a period of 10 years).

In 1978 a presidential proclamation enlarged the number of reserved seats to 30 and extended the period of reservation to 15 years from the date of promulgation of the constitution of the Republic in December 1972. The constitutional provision lapsed in 1987 and was re-incorporated in the constitution by an amendment in 1990 to be effective for 10 years from the first meeting of the legislature next elected. This provision lapsed in 2001.

In the Fundamental Principles of State Policy of the Constitution of Bangladesh, article 9 stipulates the representation of women in local government institutions. In 1993 direct election of women for reserved seats in the union parishad (union councils) was provided in legislation by the Parliament. The first election to the union parishad, under the new provision, was held in 1997. Rural local government has three tiers: 61 zila (district) parishads, 469 upazila (subdistrict) parishads, and 4,484 union parishads.

The Parliament elected in October 2001 did not have reserved seats for women. The reserved seats according to the 2004 amendment were filled in September and October 2005, being allocated to political parties in proportion to their share of the national vote received in the 2001 election.

According to Representation of the People(Amendment) Order Act 2009, political party, desiring to be registered with the Commission, shall have the following specific provisions in its constitution; (ii) to fix the goal of reserving at least 33% of all committee positions for women including the central committee and successively achieving this goal by the year 2020. (Chapter VIA, 90B [b])

Constitution of 1972, amended 2004

Representation of the People(Amendment) Order Act, 2009

http://asiafoundation.org/in-asia/2012/06/27/are-bangladeshi-women-politicians-tokens-in-the-political-arena/