Speaker Bronwyn Bishop has lost her bid for the presidency of an international democracy group, with a string of recent political scandals contributing to the defeat.

Mrs Bishop was in the running to lead the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organisation of parliaments that promotes democracy.

Speaker Bronwyn Bishop was defeated by Bangladesh's Saber Chowdhury. Credit:Dylan Robinson

She came second to Bangladesh's Saber Chowdhury in the second and final round of voting at the IPU's assembly in Geneva. There were also candidates from Indonesia and the Maldives – meaning Australia was competing against a trio of Muslim states.

Fairfax Media understands the controversial Parliament House burqa announcements, Prime Minister Tony Abbott's threat to "shirt-front" Russian President Vladimir Putin and even Australia's controversial new national security laws could have cost Mrs Bishop votes.