Constitution (17th Amendment) Bill 2018 placed in JS

Constitution (17th Amendment) Bill 2018 was placed in parliament tonight aiming at increasing tenure of lawmakers elected in the reserved seat for women for 25 years from the eleventh parliament.

Law minister Anisul Huq placed the bill before the House with Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.

The bill was sent to the parliamentary standing committee on law for scrutiny and to report back to the parliament within 30 days.

According to the Article 65 (3) of the constitution, 50 seats would be reserved exclusively for women in the parliament for 10 years from the first meeting of parliament after the one that passed the 14th constitutional amendment in 2004.

The 10-year tenure of reserved seat MP system is going to end on January 24, 2019.

The incumbent 10th parliament has 350 members -- 300 elected in general elections and 50 lawmakers from reserved seat for women.

In 2004, the government brought the 14th Amendment to the constitution to introduce the reserved seats and distribute those among the parties with proportionate representation.

The number of reserved seats was increased from 45 to 50 through the 15th constitutional amendment in 2011, but the amendment did not extend the term of the quota.

If the amendment was not brought, the next parliament would have no women in reserved seats.

The BNP-led government extended the tenure of the reserved seats to 10 years in the 8th parliament in 2004 and it became effective in the 9th parliament, which sat on January 25, 2009.

As per the constitution, parliament shall consist of 300 members to be elected directly and 50 reserved seats for women to be allotted to parties based on their proportional representation in parliament.