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[🇧🇩] Consensus Commission.

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Emergency powers to be tied to cabinet approval: Ali Riaz

BSS Dhaka
Published: 13 Jul 2025, 22: 10

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National Consensus Commission vice-chairman professor Ali Riaz speaks at the Foreign Service Academy, Dhaka on 13 July 2025 Dipu Malakar

National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman Professor Ali Riaz on Sunday said a consensus has been reached on a proposal to include specific provisions in the existing Article 141(a) of the Constitution regarding the declaration of a state of emergency.

He revealed this while briefing the media after today’s discussion with the political parties, as it continued for 12th days in the second round of talks at the Doel Hall of Foreign Service Academy.

Ali Riaz said that the proposed changes include replacing the term “internal disturbance” in Article 141(a) with the phrases “threats to national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, pandemics, or natural disasters.”

Instead of requiring the countersignature of the Prime Minister, he said, the declaration of a state of emergency must receive approval from the Cabinet.

He further said that the leader of the opposition, or in their absence, the deputy leader of the opposition, must be included in the Cabinet meeting concerning the declaration of a state of emergency.

Moreover, during a state of emergency, subject to the provisions of Article 47A, no citizen’s right to life and the fundamental rights mentioned in Article 35 of the existing Constitution regarding trial and punishment may be curtailed.

In the discussion held on 7 July, all political parties and alliances agreed on amending Article 141(a) of the Constitution and ensuring that the declaration of a state of emergency is not misused as a political tool.

Commission members Justice Md. Emdadul Haque, Iftekharuzzaman, Badiul Alam Majumdar, Safar Raj Hossain, and Md. Ayub Miah, and Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Monir Haider were present.

Ali Riaz also revealed that the political parties and alliances reached a consensus on a proposal to clearly specify certain provisions in Article 95 of the Constitution regarding the appointment of the Chief Justice.

In this case, it has to be added that the President shall appoint the most senior judge of the Appellate Division as the Chief Justice.

However, if any political party or alliance explicitly mentions in their election manifesto and receives the people’s mandate, then a provision may be added allowing the President to appoint either of the two most senior judges of the Appellate Division as Chief Justice, he added.

Ali Riaz said that provided that if any judge is undergoing an investigation under Article 96 of the Constitution due to allegations of misconduct or incapacity, he/she shall not be eligible for appointment as Chief Justice.

Representatives from 30 political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party (NCP), Gono Odhikar Parishad, Gonosanghati Andolon, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Biplobi Workers Party, and the Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party took part in the discussion.​
 

Consensus yet to be reached on upper house formation: Prof Ali Riaz

FE ONLINE REPORT
Published :
Jul 14, 2025 20:13
Updated :
Jul 14, 2025 20:21

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Though a bicameral parliament is crucial to represent the diversity of society, political parties are yet to reach consensus on how the upper house should be formed, Vice-Chairman of the National Consensus Commission Prof Ali Riaz has said.

The commission, however, made two proposals in this regard, and some proposals have also been made in discussions with political parties. These proposals need further discussion, he stated.

Prof Ali Riaz made these remarks on Monday while briefing journalists after the 13th day of the second phase of the discussions between the political parties and the commission at the Foreign Service Academy in the city.

However, everyone agreed on permanently allocating 100 seats for women in the Parliament, he said, adding that in this case, too, there is still a methodological question.

"As a result, we have not yet reached a consensus on determining this method."

Prof Ali Riaz also said that apart from this proposal, some other proposals have come up for discussion. Therefore, the commission has decided to continue the discussion to reconsider the issue.

Representatives of 30 political parties, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP), participated in today's discussion with the National Consensus Commission.

Salahuddin Ahmed, who led the BNP delegation at the commission meeting, told reporters that some reform proposals forwarded by the reform commissions, including the constitution reform commission, are almost impossible to implement.

However, they scrapped some of them amid disagreements among political parties, he added.

Political parties were yet to confirm 33 per cent representation of women, mainly due to the reality in the society. He hoped it would gradually increase or exceed, but it could not be possible overnight.

"After further discussion, if any acceptable proposal comes, then we will discuss it in the party’s standing committee", he said.​
 

Parties divided over method to form upper house in parliament, says Ali Riaz

Published :
Jul 15, 2025 22:36
Updated :
Jul 15, 2025 22:36

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The National Consensus Commission will decide on the formation process of a proposed upper house in Bangladesh’s parliament after political parties failed to reach an agreement despite broad support for a bicameral system.

On Tuesday, the commission's vice-chairman, Ali Riaz, said a final decision would be announced on Sunday following conflicting proposals from major parties on how the second chamber should be structured, bdnews24.com reports.

After a day of consultations at the Foreign Service Academy, Riaz said: “There has been significant progress on the idea of a bicameral parliament and constitutional amendments.

“But due to differences among the parties, the commission will now have to decide on the structure of the upper house.”

According to Riaz, most major parties back a bicameral system in principle, but are split on how the second chamber should be constituted.

“Some propose forming it based on vote share, while others suggest it follow the proportion of seats in the lower house,” he said.

The day’s talks included meetings with both the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, who later clarified their positions.

BNP’s Salahuddin Ahmed said his party favoured forming the upper house in proportion to seats in the lower house. In contrast, Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Abdullah Mohammad Taher argued for a vote-share-based proportional model.

Riaz acknowledged these competing views, saying the commission would continue informal communication with the parties and hold internal discussions before finalising the structure.

He also noted that constitutional amendments had been widely debated.

“If the bicameral model is not adopted, or until it is in place, changes to the constitution will require support from two-thirds of parliamentary seats,” he said.

On specific clauses like the preamble, Articles 8, 48, 56, 142, and the caretaker government provisions (Articles 58A, 58B, and 58C), Riaz said a public referendum would be mandatory for any amendment.

He added that there is no disagreement among parties about reinstating the caretaker government system, and the commission expects to reach a resolution next week on how its chief will be appointed.

He also stressed the need to ensure constitutional and institutional recognition of women's role in politics, citing their active participation in last year’s mass movement.​
 

CONSENSUS TALKS
Three-fourths for PM not to stay party chief
BNP, allies voice dissent

Staff Correspondent 23 July, 2025, 00:15

The upcoming national charter would state that three-fourths of the political parties agreed that an individual serving as the prime minister should not simultaneously hold the position of party chief, with a note of dissent from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its like-minded allies.

The decision came during the 17th session of the National Consensus Commission’s second-round dialogue at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Tuesday.

The session, also covering the discussions over the selection process of the top officials of a caretaker government and five key constitutional and statutory bodies, was adjourned without a consensus.

The NCC adopted a condolence motion over Monday’s tragic jet crash at Milestone School and College at Uttara in Dhaka.

At the post-session press briefing, NCC vice-chair Professor Ali Riaz said that three-fourths of the 30 parties opposed the prime minister’s dual role, including as a party chief.

‘Some parties have expressed dissent on this issue. Their notes of dissent will be recorded in the national charter,’ he said.

Beside the BNP, the Liberal Democratic Party, Bangladesh Labour Party, National Democratic Movement, 12-Party Alliance, Jatiyatabadi Samamana Jote and Amjanatar Dal saw no problem with the same individual holding the positions of party chief and prime minister.

Earlier in the session, the NCC presented its revised proposal on the process of constituting a caretaker government and its composition.

According to the proposal, a five-member selection committee, including the prime minister, the opposition leader, the speaker, the deputy speaker, and one representative from the third-largest party in parliament, would select the future caretaker government’s chief adviser 15 days before the dissolution of parliament.

Thirty days prior to that, the speaker-led committee would invite nominations from parliamentary parties, other Election Commission-registered parties, and independent lawmakers.

The committee would finalise the chief adviser from the nominated persons by consensus. In case the selection process gets stuck, the members would select the finalist through secret ballot, using a ranked-choice method.

If the proposed formulas fail, the reinstatement of the caretaker government-related provisions, adopted by the constitution’s 13th amendment, would be applied.

However, the consideration of the president’s additional role as chief adviser, as mentioned as the last option of the 13th amendment, would not be applicable.

Opposing the proposal, BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed recommended a four-member selection committee, excluding the representation from the third-largest party in the parliament.

He said that an expansion of the selection committee would encourage horse-trading.

In a parliament, purchase of vote or support is often termed as horse-trading.

Salahuddin also opposed the ranked-choice method, recommending the selection of the chief adviser should be based on consensus in order to avoid political differences in the future.

The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami voted for a five-member selection committee but opposed the ranked-choice method.

‘If all of the proposed methods fail, we recommend reinstating the 13th amendment, excluding the president,’ Jamaat nayeb-e-amir Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said.

Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh general secretary Saiful Huq recommended an 11-member cabinet of the caretaker government and the selection of other advisers by a selection committee.

A number of parties, including the Amar Bangladesh Party, Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasod, Gano Adhikar Parishad, Rashtra Sangskar Andolan, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, and Nagorik Oikya voted for a five-member selection committee and ranked-choice method to determine the chief adviser.

Postponing the discussion on the issue, the NCC vice-chair requested the parties that opposed the ranked-choice method to come up with an alternative way in the next session.

The NCC later presented fresh proposals regarding the appointment of top officials of the Election Commission, Public Service Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General office, Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Ombudsman.

As per the proposals, the president would appoint one chief election commissioner and up to four election commissioners, based on recommendations from a selection committee.

This committee would include the speaker, deputy speaker, leaders of the parliament and the opposition, a lawmaker from the third-largest party or other opposition parties, a non-partisan nominee from the president and an Appellate Division judge representing the chief justice.

Ninety days before the end of current officials’ terms, the committee would invite applications from ‘interested’ candidates, requiring a letter of interest and biodata as defined by the stipulated law.

The same process would apply to selecting three seven-member Public Service Commissions -- each for general, education, and health cadres, as well as for appointing the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Ombudsman.

For the ACC, a separate seven-member selection committee was proposed, comprising the second-most senior Appellate Division judge, the senior-most High Court judge, the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Public Service Commission chair, one representative each from the ruling and opposition parties and a civil-society member nominated by the president.

LDP secretary general Redwan Ahmed opposed the inclusion of representatives from the president and chief justice in the committees while RWPB’s Saiful raised concerns about the application process for interested candidates while SPB’s general secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz questioned the lack of clarity in the decision-making mechanism.

Due to time constraints, the commission adjourned the session without concluding the discussion until today.​
 

Consensus reached on appointing CEC, ECs: Ali Riaz

BSS Dhaka
Published: 23 Jul 2025, 20: 26

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Vice-Chairman of the National Consensus Commission Professor Ali Riaz on Wednesday spoke at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.

Vice-Chairman of the National Consensus Commission Professor Ali Riaz on Wednesday spoke at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital. BSS

National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman Professor Ali Riaz on Wednesday said that a consensus has been reached regarding the procedure for appointing the chief election commissioner (CEC) and other election commissioners (ECs) during the commission’s dialogue with political parties.

A revised proposal has been placed by amending Article 118(1) of the existing Constitution, he said while briefing the reporters after the end of 18th day’s dialogue at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital, according to a press release issued by the commission.

In the revised proposal, Ali Riaz said, it is stated that a full-fledged election commission will comprise CEC and a legally prescribed number of ECs.

He said a five-member selection committee, headed by the Speaker, will initiate the process of appointing the CEC and other ECs for a five-year term, 90 days prior to the expiry of the outgoing commission’s tenure.

He added, this will be done in accordance with procedures outlined in law, including inviting “expressions of interest” and relevant information from potential candidates, as well as independently seeking suitable individuals.

The commission vice-chairman said that the selection committee will include, in addition to the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker from the opposition, the prime minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and a Justice of the Appellate Division nominated by the chief justice.

The committee will transparently review the resumes of shortlisted candidates and, by consensus, recommend one individual as chief election commissioner and one individual for each of the other commissioner positions to the President.

The President will then appoint them for a five-year term, effective from the date they assume office.

Under the Speaker’s supervision, the National Parliament Secretariat will provide administrative support to the selection committee.

Professor Riaz also mentioned that in case of a vacancy due to the end of term or any other reason, the newly appointed commissioners will assume responsibility the following day.

Furthermore, a new law and code of conduct will be enacted by Parliament to ensure accountability of the election commission. However, sub-articles 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the existing Article will remain unchanged, he added.
Commission members justice Md Emdadul Haque, Iftekharuzzaman, Badiul Alam Majumdar, Safar Raj Hossain and Md Aiyub Miah, and Chief

Adviser’s Special Assistant Monir Haidar were present.

Representatives from 30 political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party (NCP), Gono Odhikar Parishad, Ganosamhati Andolan, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Biplobi Workers’ Party, and Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party.​
 

NCC CONSENSUS TALKS
PM’s 10-year term, police commission agreed

Staff Correspondent 27 July, 2025, 23:22

Political parties on Sunday agreed that no individual should hold office of the prime minister for more than 10 years in his or her lifetime. They have also agreed to the establishment of an independent police commission.

Thirty political parties, including Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Bangladesh Jammat-e-Islami and National Citizen Party, agreed on the issues while attending the National Consensus Commission’s second-round dialogue at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.

The parties agreed that the next parliament would frame a new law to facilitate the nine-member police commission to ensure professionalism and accountability in the Bangladesh Police.

Chaired by the NCC vice-chair Professor Ali Riaz, the 19th session also covered a discussion on the state’s fundamental principles and women’s representation in the parliament.

Ali Riaz said that the NCC must conclude the dialogue by July 31. ‘A draft of the national charter’s prologue will be shared with political parties on Monday (today).’

In the discussion on the state’s fundamental principles, a tense situation arose when left-leaning parties warned that they would quit the NCC dialogue if the constitution’s existing principles -- nationalism, socialism, democracy, and secularism -- were replaced with anything else.

Earlier in the discussion, the NCC proposed an independent police commission which was agreed by the political parties following debates.

As per their agreement, the commission will address complaints raised either by any member of the police force or any citizens against them.

The objectives of the police commission will be to ensure that the police, as a disciplined force, are capable of performing their duties lawfully and efficiently.

A retired judge of the Appellate Division, not older than 75 years, will chair while a retired police officer not below the rank of additional inspector general and not older than 62 years will serve as the member secretary of the commission.

The other members will include a lawmaker representing the leader of the parliament, another lawmaker representing the main opposition leader, representatives of the parliament speaker and deputy speaker, a retired government officer not below the rank of secretary, a retired judicial officer not below the rank of district judge, a human rights activist with at least 10 years of hands-on experience in a registered human rights organisation in the country or abroad.

The commission must accommodate at least two women members. The policy-making and executive functions of the commission will be approved by a majority of the commission members.

The politicians also agreed that the home affairs minister, the chair of the parliamentary standing committee on the home affairs ministry and a High Court judge with no less than 10 years of experience will select the commission’s chair, member secretary, the retired government officer, the retired judicial officer and the human rights activist.

The next parliament will enact a law determining the duties, responsibilities, powers, accountability, resignation rights, and removal procedures of all the commission members.

The politicians also agreed to seven specific directives regarding the core responsibilities and scopes of the police commission, but said that these needed to be defined by the law.

The directives stipulated that the police commission will be empowered to determine and direct the implementation of disciplinary actions against police personnel for unlawful conduct.

It may issue binding directives to protect officers from unlawful influence or interference in their duties. The commission will also be responsible for investigating citizen complaints against police members and taking appropriate legal action.

When necessary, the commission may conduct judicial inquiries with support from law enforcement agencies or the government. All relevant authorities will be legally bound to comply with the commission’s directives and decisions.

The NCC later brought up an adjourned discussion over the state’s fundamental principles on the table. According to its proposal, equality, human dignity, democracy, social justice, and religious freedom and harmony would be mentioned as the state’s fundamental principles.

The BNP’s Salahuddin said that the decision on the existing fundamental principles remained sub-judice until the review on the 15th amendment of the constitution was solved.

‘However, the next parliament can decide on the matter whether the fundamental principles, guided by the fifth amendment, will be reinstated or not. But the BNP is supporting the NCC’s proposal,’ he said.

The fifth amendment in 1979 adopted ‘Absolute trust and faith in Allah’ as the first fundamental principles of the state.

NCP member secretary Akhtar Hossen said that his party strongly opposed the existing fundamental principles while Jamaat nayeb-e-amir Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, supporting the fifth amendment, recommended that the decision should be made on a majoritarian basis.

However, the Communist Party of Bangladesh, Socialist Party of Bangladesh, SPB (Marxist) and Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasod strongly opposed replacing the existing principles with other principles.

CPB general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince warned, ‘Left-leaning parties will boycott the dialogue if the existing principles are excluded.’

Regarding women’s representation in the parliament, the BNP’s Salahuddin voted for maintaining the existing electoral provision for the 50 women reserved seats.

He presented a new idea, saying, ‘In the upcoming national election, each political party may nominate women candidates in at least 5 per cent of the 300 constituencies. For the next national election, the percentage will be raised to 10.’

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis and Khelafat Majlis changed their previous position, recommending shared vote-based proportional representation to elect women for 100 reserved seats.

The session ended at 8:30pm without any decision.​
 

Political parties must commit to implement Charter in two years: NCC

Published :
Jul 28, 2025 19:16
Updated :
Jul 28, 2025 19:16

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The National Consensus Commission (NCC) will seek formal commitments from political parties to fully implement the 'July National Charter 2025' within two years.

The NCC, on Monday, sent the draft parts of the July National Charter (Reform Charter) to the political parties to review, reports UNB.

According to the draft, political parties will sign the national charter, making a commitment to its implementation.

The draft includes the context of the July Charter, formation of the reform commissions, formation and responsibilities of the National Consensus Commission and as well as a proposed declaration of commitment from the parties.

However, agreed-upon reform proposals will be incorporated into the final document after the ongoing second round of discussions concludes.

"We've sent the draft parts of the Charter to the political parties for review. Matters (agreed reform recommendations) on which consensus is reached will be incorporated into the final version after the ongoing dialogue ends," NCC Vice Chair Prof Ali Riaz told media.

According to the draft, the parties will pledge to implement fully the Charter prepared based on a consensus through a long process, reflecting public aspirations following a long democratic struggle and sacrifices made by countless people.

The declaration further states that the political parties will make a commitment to carry out reforms proposed in the Charter, including those related to the Constitution, judiciary, electoral system, public administration, police, and anti-corruption frameworks, through necessary constitutional amendments, legal changes and policy reforms.

It adds the government formed after the next general election must be responsible for implementing these reforms within two years after adoption of this charter to ensure their sustainability of the reforms.

As per the declaration of commitments, the historic significance of the 2024 anti-discrimination, democratic movement and mass uprising must be given due recognition in the Constitution.​
 

Consensus on making ACC free from political influence: Ali Riaz
BSS Dhaka
Published: 28 Jul 2025, 23: 14

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National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman Professor Ali Riaz spoke on the 20th day of the second phase of the meeting with political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital on 28 July 2025 BSS

National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman Professor Ali Riaz on Monday said that political parties have reached a consensus on the need to strengthen the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and free it from political influence.

While briefing the media after discussion, he said representatives of all political parties and alliances have expressed positive views on the proposal made by the Commission for Reforming Anti-Corruption to include the ACC in the Constitution through a new article, aimed at curbing corruption within a framework of transparency and accountability.

However, during the discussions, some participants recommended modifications to the proposed structure, while a few presented alternative proposals, he said.

Taking all suggestions into account, the Consensus Commission decided to sit again to finalise its decisions, and discussions on the matter will continue tomorrow, Tuesday, he added.

The 20th-day discussion in the second-phase between the National Consensus Commission and political parties was held at the Foreign Service Academy’s Doel Hall.

Commission members justice Md. Emdadul Haque, Iftekharuzzaman, Badiul Alam Majumdar, Sofor Raj Hossain and Md. Ayub Miah, and Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Monir Haider were present.

The discussions were originally scheduled to cover four constitutional and statutory institutions, including the Public Service Commission, the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Ombudsman as well as women’s representation in Parliament.

But, today’s discussion focused primarily on the ACC and the Public Service Commission.

Regarding the progress on discussions about the Public Service Commission, Professor Ali Riaz noted that there is consensus among political parties on the need to make the commission stronger and free from political interference.

Some suggestions were made to amend the proposed structural framework, he added.

He further added that differing views and recommendations regarding the formation of relevant committees have also been placed by the political parties, and the Consensus Commission will evaluate these through continued dialogue before reaching any final decision.

Commenting on the BNP delegates’ brief walk out from the meeting earlier in the day as a mark of protest, Professor Riaz said that the Commission has taken their stance very seriously.

Following a request from the Commission to return to the discussion, the BNP delegation responded positively and rejoined the talks, for which he extended sincere thanks to them.

Representatives from 30 political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party (NCP), Gono Odhikar Parishad, Gonosamhati Andolan, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Biplobi Workers Party, and Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party, among others, joined the discussion.​
 

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