Fauzia Moslem cited two reasons for having reserved seats for women. First, she said, given the prevailing political culture, it is extremely difficult for women to secure representation. Second, she pointed to the lack of opportunities in society for women to take decisions independently.
Fauzia Moslem said that when a woman contests an election, she has to depend on others. For that reason, reserved seats are necessary.

Criticising the existing political structure, she said political parties bring women’s representation into parliament merely to maintain balance.
Referring to women’s direct participation in national parliamentary elections, the Mahila Parishad president said that the extent of hostility towards women in society is now becoming evident. “In this situation, we must continue to exert pressure, and we are doing so,” she said.

She proposed increasing the number of parliamentary seats to 400, with 150 of them reserved for women. At the same time, she demanded that opportunities be created for women’s direct participation in elections.
The roundtable was moderated by Shumana Sharmin, Associate Editor of Prothom Alo.