55 seats would be added to the House and 28 to the Senate, all for women, and filled through direct elections on separate ballots.
The House of Representatives has proposed a constitutional amendment to increase the total number of seats in the National Assembly from 469 to 552, reserving 83 for women and five per cent for persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Speaker Tajudeen Abbas announced the proposal at the opening of the 2025 National Assembly Open Week and launch of the 10th House Midterm Scorecard. He said, “A central feature of our inclusive governance proposals is the introduction of constitutionally guaranteed reserved seats for women and persons with disabilities.”
According to him, 55 seats would be added to the House and 28 to the Senate, all for women, and filled through direct elections on separate ballots. Seats for PWDs would be filled via nominations by accredited organisations.
Abbas noted that women’s representation in parliament remains low and cited global models like Rwanda. He also highlighted the House’s legislative achievements, including 2,263 bills and over 1,000 motions in two years.