Speakers at a workshop on Saturday said that women remain underrepresented in politics despite making up 51% of the population.

 The workshop titled “Political Elites, Clientelism, Democratization, and Governance: Pathways to Inclusive Politics and Women’s Participation,” was held at a hotel in Dhaka. It was implemented by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) with support from Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Bangladesh.

Young women political activists from the student wings of various political parties, and independent political platforms participated in the day-long program.

The workshop aimed to strengthen participants’ understanding of the relationship between political elites, clientelism, democratization, governance and inclusive politics, while encouraging critical discussions on the challenges and opportunities surrounding women’s meaningful participation in Bangladesh’s political process.

Zillur Rahman, President of CGS, delivered the opening remarks, while Parvez Karim Abbasi, Executive Director of CGS, introduced the workshop's theme.

Shadhan Kumar Das, Program Adviser of FES Bangladesh, also addressed the participants.

The sessions were facilitated by Shammi Laila Islam, Country Representative, Advancing Women’s Right of access to information, rule of law, The Carter Center.

Parvez Karim Abbasi described clientelism as a major obstacle to democracy, the rule of law and institutional development.

He discussed how patronage politics, lobbying, corruption and the absence of intra-party democracy weaken political institutions and limit democratic practices. Stressing the importance of internal party democracy, he argued that transparent and accountable political organizations are essential for ensuring meaningful women's participation in politics.

Zillur Rahman highlighted the contradiction between women’s demographic strength and their limited political influence. Although women constitute nearly 51 percent of Bangladesh’s population and around half of its voters, their meaningful participation in politics remains limited. He emphasized that democracy should not be confined to elections alone and encouraged political activists from different ideological backgrounds to work collectively to advance their political rights and leadership.

Shadhan Kumar Das introduced the democratic values and activities of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, noting that the organization has been working in Bangladesh for more than a decade to promote democratization, inclusive politics and women’s participation.

Leading the workshop, Shammi Laila Islam engaged participants in interactive discussions on party governance, democratization, political elites, clientelism and inclusive politics.

Drawing upon her experience of working with major political parties, she observed that although women’s representation has improved over time, significant structural barriers continue to limit their meaningful participation.

Participants reflected on their political aspirations before engaging in discussions on transparency, accountability, political inclusion, decentralization and internal party democracy.

The workshop concluded with a collective reflection on the importance of strengthening internal party democracy, promoting accountable governance and creating a more inclusive political environment where women can participate fully in leadership and decision-making processes.