BNP endorses limiting PM’s term to 10 yrs
Staff Reporter :
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has formally supported a constitutional provision to limit the tenure of a prime minister to a maximum of 10 years over a lifetime. This decision marks a significant development in the ongoing political reform talks and was approved at a BNP Standing Committee meeting held on Tuesday night, chaired virtually by Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman from London.
Party insiders say the endorsement reflects BNP’s commitment to institutionalising democracy and preventing prolonged monopolisation of executive power.
The meeting took place at the BNP Chairperson’s political office in Gulshan.
Confirming the party’s position, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed reiterated the support for the term limit during a media briefing following the sixth day of negotiations with the National Consensus Commission (NCC), which resumed its second phase of inter-party consultations on Wednesday.
“We agree that the prime minister’s tenure should be limited to 10 years in total,” Salahuddin stated. “However, if this is coupled with restrictions on executive authority through a permanent appointment committee such as the NCC, we cannot support it.”
Salahuddin expressed strong opposition to the NCC’s latest proposal concerning oversight of appointments to constitutional and statutory bodies.
The commission’s revised draft recommends replacing the previous National Constitutional Council-which included the President and Chief Justice-with an “Appointment Committee” comprising the speakers of both parliamentary chambers.
The BNP has rejected this concept entirely. “Why enshrine such a body in the constitution?” Salahuddin questioned. “It would be preferable to amend existing laws or strengthen them if necessary, rather than embedding a new committee constitutionally.”
He added that the BNP supports establishing a search committee for appointments, provided its operations are transparent. However, he warned against weakening the executive through constitutionally mandated committees.
“Democracy is strengthened not by undermining the executive but through free and fair elections under a caretaker government and an independent judiciary,” he said.
While the second round of NCC talks has brought partial agreement on the prime minister’s term limits, several fundamental issues remain unresolved. These include the constitutional principles of governance and the legacy of the 5th Amendment, which altered secularism and state ideology during Bangladesh’s early political upheavals.