Reforms reports unveiled

Abu Jakir :

The interim government has made public the full reports of six reform commissions it established following the removal of the Awami League government last year.

These reports, covering electoral, police, judiciary, anti-corruption, public administration, and constitutional reforms, were published yesterday on the Cabinet Division’s website (cabinet.gov.bd).

The Constitution Reform Commission, in its first published report, has recommended decentralising the judiciary to enhance access to justice. Key proposals include establishing permanent High Court benches in all divisions while retaining the Appellate Division in the capital.

The report also advocates for the creation of a Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) to oversee the selection of Supreme Court judges.

This commission would consist of the Chief Justice, senior Appellate and High Court judges, the Attorney General, and a citizen nominee from the upper house of parliament.

Other notable recommendations include ensuring judicial integrity in Supreme Court appointments, institutionalising the automatic promotion of the senior-most Appellate Division judge to Chief Justice, maintaining the Supreme Judicial Council’s oversight, and granting full financial independence to the judiciary.

Additionally, it suggests renaming “Lower Courts” as “Local Courts” and placing their administration under a dedicated judicial secretariat supervised by the Supreme Court.

The Constitution Reform Commission has identified seven fundamental areas crucial for democracy, human rights, and accountability.

These include enshrining principles of equality, human dignity, and democracy, reducing the Prime Minister’s absolute power, strengthening local government, and broadening constitutional protections for fundamental rights.

One significant recommendation is appointing opposition members as chairpersons of Parliamentary Standing Committees to ensure balance in governance.

The commission also proposes an interim government framework, restructuring power distribution, and reinforcing institutional checks and balances.

The Electoral Reform Commission has proposed over 150 recommendations to ensure free and fair elections.

Key proposals include disqualifying individuals convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) from contesting elections, introducing a “no-vote” provision, and mandating re-elections in constituencies with a voter turnout below 40%.

It also suggests barring candidates implicated in serious human rights violations, corruption, or money laundering.

To empower the Election Commission (EC), the report recommends forming a permanent national constitutional council to appoint EC members, granting the commission authority to suspend elections in case of malpractice, and requiring election credibility assessments within 48 hours of results.

Other proposals include abolishing multiple candidacies by a single individual, mandating stricter financial disclosures for candidates, and eliminating the use of Electronic Voting Machines.

The commission suggests stricter regulations for political parties, including publishing member lists online, holding internal elections via secret ballots, and banning auxiliary wings such as student and labour groups.

It also recommends preventing parties from having foreign branches and requiring parliamentary candidates to hold membership for at least three years before contesting.

Further recommendations include introducing a “no-vote” option, enhancing election expenditure monitoring, and abolishing the requirement for independent candidates to collect signatures from 1% of voters, replacing it with endorsements from 500 voters.

The commission has proposed significant structural changes, such as limiting the Prime Minister’s tenure, reforming the presidential election process, introducing an upper house in parliament, and reinstating the caretaker government system to oversee elections.

It also emphasises the need for direct elections to reserved women’s seats and calls for a review of the 2018 election irregularities through a dedicated investigative body.

At a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy, Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Asif Nazrul stated that nearly half of the short-term recommendations could be implemented within a month.

He noted that many of the proposed reforms have already been initiated, and that immediate actions generally take around six months to be fully enforced.

He also stated that the election process will commence simultaneously with urgent reforms needed to ensure a free and fair election.

“I want to make it absolutely clear that this government has no intention of staying in office unnecessarily,” Asif Nazrul said.

Asked about discussions with political parties regarding reforms, he mentioned that the interim government is keen to launch talks in mid-February.

He added that if the parties agree, the discussions could continue even during Ramadan. “And if political parties demand a quick election, I believe they have every right to do so.”