[🇧🇩] Consensus Commission.

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2nd round of NCC dialogue resumes tomorrow

The second round of the National Consensus Commission-led dialogue with political parties will resume on Tuesday after a 13-day break for the Eid-ul-Azha holiday.

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2nd round of NCC dialogue resumes tomorrow
Staff Correspondent 16 June, 2025, 00:01

The second round of the National Consensus Commission-led dialogue with political parties will resume on Tuesday after a 13-day break for the Eid-ul-Azha holiday.

An NCC press release issued on Sunday said that the agenda for the dialogue includes the reform of Article 70 of the constitution, the selection of parliamentary standing committee chairpersons, representation of women in the legislature, the possibility of a bicameral parliament and the appointment process of the chief justice.

The second round of the NCC dialogue has drawn special attention in the political arena as chief adviser Professor Mohammad Yunus and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman agreed during a meeting in London on Friday that Bangladesh’s next national elections could be held in mid-February 2026.

A joint statement issued after the meeting quoted Professor Yunus as saying, ‘In that case, sufficient progress on reforms and trial will need to be made by that time.’

Most political parties in Bangladesh welcomed the outcome of the London meeting as a positive and constructive step towards a democratic transition, seeing it as a potential breakthrough in the ongoing political stalemate.

In response, the BNP and several other parties have begun outlining election-centric programmes, signalling a shift towards preparations for potential participation in the upcoming national election.

In the backdrop of this development, the second round of the NCC dialogue is expected to play a crucial role in encouraging both political parties and the government to finalise the July Charter, which outlines key reform issues.

NCC vice-chairman Ali Riaz and representatives of participating political parties will brief journalists following the meeting, while Bangladesh Television News will broadcast the proceedings live, the release added.

The interim government, led by chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, also the NCC chair, formed the commission on February 12 to build political consensus on state reform issues.

The urgency of state reforms arose after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024 amid a mass uprising.

Professor Yunus inaugurated the NCC-led dialogue with political parties on February 15.

Following feedback from political parties on 166 key reform proposals submitted by five commissions covering constitutional, judicial, electoral, public administration and Anti-Corruption Commission reforms, the NCC began party-individual dialogues on March 20.

By May 19, a total of 33 political parties participated in the first round of the NCC-led dialogue. All sessions were held at the LD Hall of Jatiya Sangsad in Dhaka.

The second round of dialogue was inaugurated by the chief adviser on June 2 at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.

Before the Eid vacation that began on June 5, the NCC held two days of all-party dialogue.

The drafting of a political consensus-based national charter by July is the expected outcome of the ongoing dialogue.​

 

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Jamaat will return to consensus dialogue, government fully neutral: Press Secretary

The Jamaat-e-Islami will attend the second day of the National Consensus Commission’s fresh round of talks despite skipping the opening session, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has said. The clarification came on Tuesday afternoon following criticism that t

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Jamaat will return to consensus dialogue, government fully neutral: Press Secretary

Published :
Jun 17, 2025 21:09
Updated :
Jun 17, 2025 21:09

The Jamaat-e-Islami will attend the second day of the National Consensus Commission’s fresh round of talks despite skipping the opening session, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has said.

The clarification came on Tuesday afternoon following criticism that the interim government was “favouring” the BNP in the political process, reports bdnews24.com.

Shafiqul shrugged off the claims, saying the caretaker administration has maintained “full neutrality”.

Speaking at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka’s Bailey Road, the press aide said: “The Jamaat-e-Islami will join [on Wednesday]. We’ve spoken with them.

“Missing one day is fine. They’ll be fully present [on Wednesday].”

When asked about Jamaat’s absence from the first session, he said he did not know the reason.

Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad declined to comment when asked in the afternoon.

Earlier in the morning, he said “We didn’t join [Tuesday’s] meeting in protest.”

Asked if the party would join the next day, he said: “Can’t say yet. We’ll discuss and decide.”

The day’s session began at 11:30am with representatives from 30 political parties, but no one from Jamaat was seen in the room.

Later it emerged that Jamaat “boycotted” the session in protest of a joint statement issued after a meeting in London between Yunus and BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman.

Jamaat’s deputy chief Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said Jamaat would not join the second phase of the dialogue.

Despite a 30-minute delay in starting, Jamaat’s seat remained empty throughout.

As the lunch break began, several journalists asked Yunus’s Special Assistant (Consensus Affairs) Monir Haider why Jamaat had not turned up.

He said: “Jamaat-e-Islami has symbolically boycotted [Tuesday’s] session.”

When asked if the boycott was linked to the Yunus-Tarique meeting in London, he said: “You can take it that way.”

Asked to respond to Jamaat leaders claiming they were upset by the London statement, the press secretary said: “We’re not aware of any such issue.”

On concerns from Jamaat and the NCP over alleged bias towards BNP, he said, “We believe we’re maintaining maximum neutrality. We consider everyone who took part in the July mass uprising to be a stakeholder. I don’t think the allegation is true. From all angles, we’re neutral.”

On concerns from the Jamaat and the National Citizen Party (NCP) over the government’s allegedly one-sided attitude towards the BNP, Shafiqul said: “We believe we are maintaining maximum neutrality.

“Everyone who took part in the July Uprising is considered a stakeholder. I don’t think the claim is true. In every sense, we are neutral.

“All parties and groups involved in the July movement are being given equal importance. No one is being treated differently,” he added.

Later, the commission’s Vice President Ali Riaz alo said: “The government has been in touch, and they [Jamaat] will attend [on Wednesday].”​

 

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Parties agree lawmakers’ freedom to vote in JS

All the 29 political parties attending the meeting on the third day of the second round of National Consensus Commission-hosted dialogue on Tuesday agreed that lawmakers could vote against bills except the finance bill and confidence motion, going against...

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Parties agree lawmakers’ freedom to vote in JS
Discussion over women’s reserved seats, bicameral JS deferred
Staff Correspondent 17 June, 2025, 22:09

Vice-chairman of the National Consensus Commission Professor Ali Riaz speaks at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Tuesday. | BSS photo

All the 29 political parties attending the meeting on the third day of the second round of National Consensus Commission-hosted dialogue on Tuesday agreed that lawmakers could vote against bills except the finance bill and confidence motion, going against their respective parties.

To free lawmakers from absolute party domination, the politicians overwhelmingly agreed to reform the related Article 70 of the constitution that bars lawmakers from going against their parties.

This political agreement will be included in a national charter to be finalised by July, said NCC vice-chair Professor Ali Riaz.

However, the meeting decided to keep the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-proposed bar on lawmakers from voting against any bill related to constitutional amendment and war-time national security as a note of descent in the charter.

Inaugurated by the interim government’s chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on June 2, Tuesday’s meeting of the NCC’s second-round dialogue with political parties held at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital Dhaka.

Although delegates from major political parties, including the BNP, were present at the meeting, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami abstained from attending Tuesday’s meeting.

Participants of the meeting discussed the reform in Article 70, the selection of parliamentary standing committee chairpersons, the representation of women in the legislature, the proposed bicameral parliament and the appointment process of the chief justice.

The meeting witnessed the majority agreed on a bicameral legislature and increasing women’s representation in the parliament, though the issues were deferred amid huge debates on the composition of the bicameral legislature and the electoral process of the reserved seats for women.

BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said that political parties would reach a consensus on reforms and advance for the much expected national election through the series of dialogues.

In the meeting, most of the parties agreed to make opposition lawmakers the chairs of the parliamentary committees on public accounts, privilege, estimation and public undertakings.

Regarding the representation of women in the legislature, most of the parties, including the BNP, the Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, the Ganosamhati Andolan, the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD and parties under the Left Democratic Alliance, agreed to increase the reserve seats for women from the existing 50 to 100.

However, many parties opposed the Electoral Reform Commission-proposed rotational nomination system for women’s reserved seats while some others expressed their reservation on increasing the reserved seats.

Islami Oikya Jote secretary general Mawlana Shakhawat Hossain Razi questioned quota for women while Islami Andolan Bangladesh senior joint secretary general Maolana Gazi Ataur Rahman said, ‘There is no relevance of increasing the number of reserved seats for women with the movement against the fascist Awami League regime.’

Parties, including the National Citizen Party, the Communist Party of Bangladesh, the Socialist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist) and the Bangladesh Labour Party, recommended direct election to 100 reserved seats for women while the Ganosamhati Andolan supported a rotational nomination system for women to contest the reserved seats by direct vote.

Amid huge debates on the nomination criteria and the election process of the reserved seats for women, the NCC decided to postpone the discussion over the particular issue until the next week.

Regarding the Constitution Reform Commission-proposed bicameral legislature, NCC vice-chair Ali Riaz said that more than two-thirds of the parties in the previous meetings agreed to the proposed bicameral legislature.

At Tuesday’s meeting, many parties, including the BNP, the Rashtra Sangskar Andolan, the Islami Andolan Bangladesh, the Khelafat Majlish, the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasod, the JSD, the NCP, the Amar Bangladesh Party and the Ganosamhati Andolan, supported the bicameral legislature.

The parties, however, recommended that the upper house should be of 100 members instead of the proposed 105.

However, parties, including the CPB, the Gano Forum and the Socialist Party of Bangladesh disagreed ‘in principle’ to the proposal.

Amid huge debates on the election process for the upper house, the NCC postponed the related discussion until the next meetings.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the majority of the parties agreed that the president should appoint the chief justice from among two most senior judges of the Appellate Division.

Despite debates over the role of the Supreme Judicial Council and the relevance of the recently issued Supreme Court Judges Appointment Ordinance, 2025, in the context of appointing the chief justice, the NCC vice-chair said that further discussion would help reach a consensus among the parties on the issue.

NCC members Badiual Alam Majumder, Iftekharuzzaman, Safar Raj Hossian, Ayub Ali, Justice Emdadul Haque, and chief adviser’s special assistant Monir Haidar were present at Tuesday’s meeting.

After the meeting, the NCC vice-chair and the politicians briefed journalists.

Today’s meeting of the second round of the dialogue will be held at the same venue. The agenda of the today’s meeting include the proposed National Constitutional Council and the appointment of the president, said a NCC press release.​

 

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NCP calls for scrapping 4 fundamental principles of ’72 constitution

The National Citizens Party (NCP) has called for the abolition of the four fundamental principles of the 1972 constitution. “We have made it clear that we do not support retaining the Mujibist fundamental principles of ‘72. These principles must be removed,” the party’s joint convenor Javed...

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Talks with consensus commission
NCP calls for scrapping 4 fundamental principles of ’72 constitution

Staff Correspondent Dhaka
Published: 22 Jun 2025, 22: 48

NCP leaders talk to the media after the discussion on 22 June 2025 Prothom Alo

The National Citizens Party (NCP) has called for the abolition of the four fundamental principles of the 1972 constitution.

“We have made it clear that we do not support retaining the Mujibist fundamental principles of ‘72. These principles must be removed,” the party’s joint convenor Javed Rasin stated.

He made the remarks today, Sunday, in the capital’s Foreign Service Academy, following discussions between political parties and the National Consensus Commission aimed at concluding earlier unfinished dialogues.

Rasin further said, “There was a proposal from the Constitution Reform Commission—to include democracy alongside equality, human dignity, and social justice as the four fundamental principles. During the meeting, political parties showed disagreement over this issue. We clearly stated that we do not support retaining the Mujibist fundamental principles of 1972. Those must be removed.”

He also noted that some political parties, due to their ideological positions, could not agree to remove these four original principles.

“We responded by saying that there is no point in discussing matters here if they contradict the spirit of the 5 August student–people uprising. Therefore, the four principles of 1972 must be excluded, and other subsequent principles may be added,” he stated.

However, no consensus was reached among the political parties on this matter.

NCP’s senior joint member secretary Tasnim Zara said that the current system requires the tenure of the prime minister to be limited. She said discussions were held on this topic, including how long one individual should be allowed to remain in office.

“We proposed that an individual should be allowed to take oath as prime minister no more than twice. But in the interest of consensus, everyone seemed to agree on a maximum of 10 years. We are flexible on the timeframe,” she added.

Today’s discussion with the National Consensus Commission included participation from 30 political parties including BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Islami Andolan, Gono Odhikar Parishad, and Ganosamhati Andolan.

Chief adviser’s special assistant Monir Haider moderated the meeting.

Other attendees included the commission’s vice-president professor Ali Riaz, members Safar Raj Hossain, justice Emdadul Haque, Badiul Alam Majumdar, Iftekharuzzaman, and Mohammad Ayub Miah.​

 

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All but 3 political parties agree on term limit of PM: Ali Riaz

Most political parties have agreed that no individual should serve as prime minister for more than 10 years, except for three including BNP.

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All but 3 political parties agree on term limit of PM: Ali Riaz
Staff Correspondent Dhaka
Updated: 22 Jun 2025, 21: 52

National Consensus Commission's Vice President Professor Ali Riaz during the meeting with political parties on 22 June Prothom Alo

Most political parties have agreed that no individual should serve as prime minister for more than 10 years in their career, except for three including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), professor Ali Riaz, vice-president of the National Consensus Commission said on Sunday.

"After lengthy discussions, we reached a clear position that a person cannot remain prime minister for more than 10 years. However, we have yet to reach full consensus as three parties opposed the proposal and asked for reconsideration," he stated.

Professor Ali Riaz made these comments today after the second round of talks between the National Consensus Commission and political parties at the Foreign Service Academy on Bailey Road in the capital.

Speaking about the discussions with political parties, he said, "We focused on two main topics throughout the day: the term limit of the prime minister and the fundamental principles of the constitution."

On the term limit issue, Ali Riaz said most parties agreed on a 10-year cap, but BNP, NDM, and BLDP differed, requesting further discussion after internal consultations. These parties argued that this issue is linked with other matters, particularly the formation of the NCC and the structure of the upper house.

Regarding the second discussion point, Ali Riaz mentioned that the Constitutional Reform Commission had presented a proposal on the constitution and the state's guiding principles.

Taking into account the sentiments and positions of various parties, the consensus commission will prepare a final proposal emphasising equality, human dignity, social justice, and democracy, he added.

Ali Riaz also said that the meetings were adjourned for the next two days at the request of political parties so they can discuss these matters at their policymaking levels.

"We hope this break will help resolve the remaining unresolved issues," he added.

Today’s discussion with the National Consensus Commission aimed to conclude previously unfinished talks and included 30 political parties such as BNP, Jamaat, NCP, Islami Andolon, Gono Odhikar Parishad, and Ganosamhati Andolan.

Moderated by the chief adviser’s special assistant Monir Haidar, commission members Safar Raj Hossain, Justice Emdadul Haque, Badiul Alam Majumdar, Iftekharuzzaman, and Mohammad Ayub Mia, were also present at the meeting.​

 

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Political parties still split over PM’s term

Most political parties on Sunday agreed to limit the tenure of the prime minister, but a complete consensus was not reached.

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Political parties still split over PM’s term
Staff Correspondent 22 June, 2025, 23:34

Focus Bangla photo

Most political parties on Sunday agreed to limit the tenure of the prime minister, but a complete consensus was not reached.

The parties also favoured adopting equality, social justice, and human dignity as fundamental principles of the state.

But the divergence in their interpretations and procedural approaches stalled the sixth-day discussion of the second round dialogue under the National Consensus Commission, prompting the comission vice-chair Professor Ali Riaz to adjourn the session attended by 30 political parties.

The dialogue session was as usual held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka. The issue of limiting the prime minister’s tenure dominated the opening discussion, which began at 11:00am.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said that his party agreed on two consecutive terms, adding that their decision on the PM’s tenure depended on the formation of a proposed National Constitutional Council and the electoral process for a bicameral Jatiya Sangsad.

In Sunday’s meeting, BNP’s Salahuddin made a fresh suggestion that a year-based limit might be more pragmatic than a term-based one.

Earlier in the first-round NCC dialogue, the BNP agreed on a two-consecutive-term cap, but with an option for the two-term PM’s re-appointment after a gap.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami nayeb-e-ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher also proposed a 10-year cap.

National Citizen Party joint convener Zaved Rasin and Rashtra Sanskar Andolan leader Syed Hasibuddin Hossain questioned the BNP’s logic behind linking the PM’s tenure to other issues.

In the Sunday’s meeting, National Democratic Party secretary general Mominul Amin, National People’s Party chair Fariduzzaman Farhad, Bangladesh Labour Party chair Mostafizur Rahman Iran, Jamiat Ulama-e Islam secretary general Maulna Manjurul Islam Afandi, Aam Janata Dal leader Sadhana Mahal backed the previous proposal from the BNP on the issue of PM’s term.

The Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh general secretary Saiful Huq and Socialist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz expressed support for a lifetime two-term limit.

Islami Andolan Bangladesh senior joint secretary general Gazi Ataur Rahman dismissed the debate as irrelevant, arguing that a competent PM should not be bound by any time limit.

As politicians were getting stuck to a single point for an extended period of time, Communist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince warned against backtracking on earlier points of consensus, while Amar Bangladesh Party joint general secretary Suny Abdul Haque expressed frustration over the delays.

Amid requests from several politicians, including Ganosamhati Andolan chief convener Zonayed Saki, NCC vice-chair Professor Ali Riaz deferred the discussion until Wednesday to allow parties time to review the issue in their respective party forums and refine their positions.

After the lunch break, the focus shifted to reforming the fundamental principles of the constitution.

In 2011, the Awami League-led parliament passed the 15th amendment to the constitution, reinstating democracy, nationalism, secularism, and socialism as the fundamental principles, which were introduced in the 1972 constitution.

Citing outcomes of the NCC’s first-round dialogue, Ali Riaz said on Sunday that the proposed fundamental principles of the reformed constitution included religious liberty and harmony, along with the reform commission’s earlier recommendations of equality, social justice, human dignity, and democracy.

Political parties, including the CPB, SPB, Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, and Jatiyo Gono Front, backed maintaining the existing fundamental principles and adding to those the commission-proposed ones.

On the contrary, religion-based parties like the IAB, Islami Oikya Jote, Khelafat Majlish, and Nezam-e-Islami voted for upholding ‘absolute trust in Allah’ and removing ‘secularism’ and ‘socialism’.

Opposition to the existing four principles was voiced by NCP’s Zaved Rasin, who dismissed the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman-era ideals, while IAB’s Gazi Ataur Rahman viewed that secularism no longer matched the belief of the majority of Muslims in the country.

Meanwhile, parties like the Ganosamhati Andolan, Rashtra Sanskar Andolan, and Nagorik Oikya turned down any move towards a majoritarian state.

BNP’s Salahuddin proposed amending these principles in the future, depending on electoral mandates.

In the earlier meetings, the BNP recommended fundamental principles outlined by the fifth amendment to the constitution in 1979 that removed ‘secularism’ from the 1972 constitution and inserted in it ‘absolute trust and faith in the Almighty Allah’.

Jamaat’s Taher supported both ‘absolute trust in Allah’ and the reform commission-proposed fundamental principles. He suggested that a referendum might offer the ultimate resolution.

Despite Jamaat’s Taher asserting that most parties supported the commission’s proposed fundamental principles, CPB’s Ruhin Hossain Prince and SPB’s Bazlur Rashid Firoz requested the NCC to avoid a hasty move to reach consensus on this ‘highly’ debatable issue.

With no agreement reached on both the issues, NCC vice-chair Ali Riaz adjourned the session at 5:00pm.

The NCC would not hold any session on Monday and Tuesday, said Ali Riaz.​

 

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National Consensus Commission focuses on weakening executive branch: Salahuddin Ahmed

BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said that there is more eating and drinking than discussion happening in the reform efforts led by the National Consensus Commission.

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National Consensus Commission focuses on weakening executive branch: Salahuddin Ahmed

Staff Correspondent Dhaka
Published: 26 Jun 2025, 18: 27

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed addresses a meeting at the National Press Club on 26 June. Prothom Alo

BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said that there is more eating and drinking than discussion happening in the reform efforts led by the National Consensus Commission.

However, BNP believes that there will be a consensus in the end.

He made this remark today, Thursday, at an event held at the National Press Club auditorium, organised to mark the 13th founding anniversary of Nagarik Oikya.

Referring to the simultaneous movement by BNP as the foundation that planted the seed for the fall of the previous fascist government, Salahuddin Ahmed said, “We knew fascism would fall. But we did not know when, how, or by what method it would happen.”

Highlighting that BNP is cooperating with the government on reforms, he stated that the party agrees with the proposal that no individual should serve as Prime Minister of Bangladesh for more than ten years. This is where fascism has been resisted, he said.

Salahuddin added that the next step should be ensuring independence of judiciary, which he described as a shield for democracy.

Stressing the need to guarantee freedom of the press to protect democracy, Salahuddin Ahmed said that it has to be ensured that journalists serve their conscience, not their employers. As a political party, he affirmed, BNP will continue to support freedom of press in every possible way.

He expressed the view that a truly independent election commission could prevent the return of fascism.

However, he noted that weakening the executive branch alone is not enough to dismantle fascist structures.

He accused the National Consensus Commission of being overly focused on weakening the executive branch.

Just because one dictator emerged in the past doesn't mean the entire executive should be dismantled.

Salahuddin also added that BNP supports reforms, but not at the cost of weakening any particular branch of the state.​

 

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BNP leader Salahuddin questions mandatory consensus on NCC proposals

BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on Sunday questioned why reform dialogue is needed if all parties are asked to fully agree with every proposal put forward by the National Consensus Commission. “If we are asked to agree 100 per cent with all proposals of the Commission, then wh

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BNP leader Salahuddin questions mandatory consensus on NCC proposals

UNB
Published :
Jun 29, 2025 22:29
Updated :
Jun 29, 2025 22:29

BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on Sunday questioned why reform dialogue is needed if all parties are asked to fully agree with every proposal put forward by the National Consensus Commission.

“If we are asked to agree 100 per cent with all proposals of the Commission, then why were we invited for discussion?” he told reporters after the seventh day of the second phase of talks between the commission and political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.

The BNP leader said the July Charter or National Charter is supposed to be signed by bringing together all the issues on which the parties agree. “Now if we are forced here to agree on all the issues - that is not right,” he said replying to a question.

Noting that they never express disappointment, he said, “We express optimism. We are making this proposal -- all the issues that the parties and everyone will agree on will be signed as the July Charter.”

Focusing on BNP’s support to many reform proposals, Salahuddin said they agreed on the change in Article 70 of the constitution, the chairmanship of key parliamentary standing committees, conditionally agreed on the proposal of limiting a person’s tenure as prime minister to a maximum of 10 years during their lifetime (but in that case, the proposal to form any authority like National Constitutional Council or Appointment Committee for the constitutional and statutory institutions must be avoided).

He said BNP also agreed on the issue of electing the president through a secret ballot, allowing MPs to vote independently.

Salahuddin raised BNP’s previous position, objecting to the proposal to form an appointment committee for the constitutional and statutory bodies and introduction of Proportional Representation (PR) system (based on votes) in the proposed 100-seat Upper House.

He said BNP rather supports that the political parties should have representation in the Upper House based on the number of their respective MPs in the lower house in case of the bicameral parliament.

But most of the political parties, including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party-NCP, want the formation of the appointment committee and the PR system in the Upper House.​

 

[Saif]

Unity for durable democratic reform

The interim government's initiative to launch a comprehensive reform process through the National Consensus Commission (NCC) is a response to the growing public demand for structural change and democratic renewal. It is encouraging that political parties, through NCC-hosted discussions, are beginni

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Unity for durable democratic reform

Published :
Jul 05, 2025 22:19
Updated :
Jul 05, 2025 22:19

The interim government's initiative to launch a comprehensive reform process through the National Consensus Commission (NCC) is a response to the growing public demand for structural change and democratic renewal. It is encouraging that political parties, through NCC-hosted discussions, are beginning to rise above partisan divides and find common ground on key reforms vital for building durable democracy. A tangible result of this emerging consensus is the recent agreement among major political parties to curb the misuse of presidential clemency and decentralise the judiciary, two contentious constitutional issues that have long fuelled public distrust and centralised power. This development, revealed by NCC vice-chairman Professor Ali Riaz, follows discussions with representatives from 30 political parties and marks a collective step towards institutional accountability and judicial accessibility.

Under the current Article 49 of the constitution, the president holds unchecked authority to pardon, suspend or commute any court sentence. In practice, this authority has often been misued for political ends including the controversial pardoning of individuals convicted of serious crimes. The proposed amendment would retain the president's clemency power but make it subject to clear legal criteria and procedures. This change would bring Bangladesh in line with global norms that limit executive discretion and promote accountability. Similarly, decentralising the judiciary by establishing permanent High Court benches addresses a critical bottleneck in the legal system. The justice system is now struggling with a massive backlog of several million cases, causing trials to take an average of five to ten years. Compounding the issue, centralisation of higher judiciary functions in Dhaka places an undue burden on citizens living in remote districts. Amending Article 100 to establish permanent High Court benches in each division would ease this burden. It would improve access to justice and help close the longstanding gap between the judiciary and ordinary citizens.

The significance of these consensus-based steps must be understood within the context of broader reform agenda enabled by the mass uprising of July 2024. That uprising, and the sacrifices made during it, made clear that the people of Bangladesh no longer accept a political order where power is concentrated, unaccountable and shielded from public scrutiny. In conversations, public forums and national dialogues, a collective demand for democratic transformation emerged. The NCC is now engaging with political parties to channel these aspirations into concrete reforms. Alongside clemency and judicial structure, the NCC discussions have led to tentative agreements on other key issues including the caretaker government system, term limits for the Prime Minister and the creation of a second chamber in the legislature. However, disagreements persist on other matters including the structure of the upper house and appointments to constitutional bodies.

In a multiparty democracy, ideological and policy differences are natural. Democracy does not demand uniformity, but it does require that all actors move forward together. At the same time, it is essential to ensure the current negotiations do not unravel over divisive side issues. This July offers both a symbolic and practical opportunity to finalise what many hope will become the July Charter. Such a charter would not only honour the martyrs of the 2024 uprising but also reaffirm a shared commitment to a just and inclusive democratic state. The recent consensus on presidential clemency and judicial decentralisation proves that differences can be bridged through dialogue and compromise. Political parties must now resist the lure of short-term advantage and build on this progress by finalising concrete legislative proposals. Any delay, indecision or retreat would risk undermining this historic opportunity to secure a democratic future.​