At stake in this election:

• 300 seats in the Parliament (Jatiyo Sangshad)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Abdul HAMID
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wajed
• Assembly: Bangladesh has a unicameral Parliament (House of the Nation / Jatiya Sangsad) with 350 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• In the Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad) 300 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms. Of the 300 seats in the Parliament, 50 seats are reserved for female candidates, who are elected by the new representatives on the basis of proportional representation through single transferable vote.

Election Notes:

• The last election to the Parliament was held on December 29, 2008. On December 2, 2013, following weeks of protests, an 18-party alliance of the opposition parties, led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) announced that it would boycott the coming elections. The alliance had demanded that Prime Minister HASINA resign and appoint a neutral caretaker government to oversee the elections, fearing interference in the polls. In addition to the 18-party alliance, the Jatiya Party led by former President H.M. ERSHAD has said they will boycott the elections, despite having previously served as a member of the governing coalition.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Bangladesh Awami League / বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী লীগ
  • Leader: Sheikh HASINA
  • Seats won in last election: 230
• National Socialist Party / Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal (JASAD)
  • Leader: Hasanul Haq INU
  • Seats won in last election: 3
• Workers Party of Bangladesh
  • Leader: Rashed Khan MENON
  • Seats won in last election: 2
• Jatiya Party (National Party) (JP)
  • Leader: Anwar Hossein MANJU
  • Seats won in last election: 0

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 163,654,860 (July 2013 est.)
• Registered Voters: 91,948,861 (September 2013)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 77,796,175 (2013)

·         Is Bangladesh a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Bangladesh ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (6 November 1984)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 69 (following the 2014 election)

·         Human Development Index Position: 142 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very High (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Bangladesh a signatory to CRPD: Yes (9 May 2007)

·         Has Bangladesh ratified CRPD: Yes (30 November 2007)

·         Population with a disability: 24,548,229 (est.)