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discussed repeatedly during the reform talks.

Initially, the commission had proposed increasing the number of reserved seats for women from 50 to 100 and suggested direct elections to these seats.

Facing disagreement over that plan, the commission floated the new model.

The commission’s Vice-President Prof Ali Riaz said that despite prolonged discussions on women’s representation and the formation of a bicameral legislature, consensus had not been reached.

“These two issues have been discussed multiple times. While there has been some support initially, procedural disagreements have prevented all from reaching a consensus.”

He said the commission had previously proposed forming a 400-seat lower house and a 100-seat upper house. “Nearly two-thirds of political parties supported this idea … Disagreement persists over how the upper house would be constituted.”

“We want to continue the discussions and hope to agree on an acceptable mechanism,” said Riaz, adding that these two topics will remain on the agenda for today’s meeting as well.

ROLE OF UPPER HOUSE

The commission’s proposal also detailed the role of the upper house.

It said the upper house would not have authority to initiate new legislation. However, all bills passed by the lower house -- except money bills -- must be placed before both houses.

The commission proposed that the upper house review and analyse bills from the lower house and approve or reject them within a legally stipulated two-month window, after which they would be considered automatically approved.

If approved, the bill would be forwarded to the president for assent. If rejected, the upper house may return it to the lower house with suggested amendments for reconsideration.

The lower house may then choose to accept or reject those amendments, in whole or in part.

However, if the upper house rejects the same bill in two successive sessions and the lower house passes it again in a subsequent session, the bill may be sent to the president without the upper house’s approval.

WHAT PARTIES SAY

At a press briefing following the talks, BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed said his party supports increasing women’s representation in parliament.

While backing the commission’s earlier proposal to raise reserved seats from 50 to 100, BNP believes these should be filled through the existing mechanism rather than direct elections.

After independence, the 1972 constitution initially reserved 15 seats in parliament for women. Over time, this number gradually rose to 50. These seats are currently allocated to political parties in proportion to their share of the 300 general seats. “Designating or delimiting 100 new constituencies specifically for directly elected women’s seats is not realistic,” he argued.

Regarding the commission’s suggestion for nominating women in 33 percent of parliamentary seats, Salahuddin said parties have yet to implement the existing Representation of the People Order provision of 33 percent women in their own committees.“The reality is, due to religious and social factors, many women in our society are still hesitant to engage in politics. Therefore, we prefer a gradual increase in women’s participation over a sudden revolutionary shift.”

On the upper house formation, he said BNP had already included its suggestions in its 31-point reform proposal.

He criticised the idea of directly electing upper house members from 64 districts and 12 city corporations, comparing it to a district council or provincial government system.

Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said they presented two key points. “One is raising women’s seats in parliament to 100, and the other is adopting the PR system for upper house formation.”

He added that his party also supports using the PR system to elect 100 women MPs. “In our social reality, it is nearly impossible for a woman to contest directly in a large constituency formed by merging three parliamentary seats … Our women still adhere to religious principles, social contexts, and cultural traditions.”

About the upper house, Taher said, “If the upper house simply mirrors the lower house, it will serve no purpose. Without PR, it cannot ensure a system of checks and balances.”

He also dismissed the idea of electing members from 64 districts and 12 city corporations. “This proposal is not even worthy of discussion. It is misleading and could derail the main dialogue.”

National Citizen Party Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain said they too proposed the direct election of 100 women MPs, aligning with the commission’s suggestion.

He added that his party supports the PR system for allocating upper house seats and does not endorse electing members from all districts and city corporations. “We’ve noticed in some proposals a tendency to weaken the upper house… We want a structure where even a party receiving just one percent of votes can still secure representation.”

Meanwhile, leftist parties like the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal, and Biplobi Workers Party rejected the proposal to abolish reserved seats for women.

CPB General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince said they support raising the number of reserved seats to 100 from the existing 50, with all members elected through direct vote, and rejected the idea of a bicameral parliament, calling it unnecessary.

Biplobi Workers Party General Secretary Saiful Haque also called the abolishment of reserved seats “unjust” and said his party supports increasing the number to 100 with direct elections.

He too favoured the PR system for upper house formation.