Sujan Survey: Majority want term limits, separation of key political roles

Staff Reporter :

A large majority of Bangladeshis favour far-reaching political reforms to curb the concentration of power and create a more balanced democratic system, according to a new nationwide survey conducted by Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Sujan).

The findings, presented at a press conference in Dhaka on Tuesday, indicate strong public backing for measures such as term limits for the prime minister, separation of key political offices, the creation of a bicameral legislature, and stricter rules governing executive conduct during election periods.

Carried out between May and July this year, the survey gathered responses from 1,373 participants through 40 structured questions and 15 citizen dialogues.

The results suggest widespread dissatisfaction with the current political structure, which many respondents believe has allowed excessive power to be concentrated in the hands of a single leader.

Among the most notable findings, 87 percent of respondents supported a constitutional provision preventing the same individual from holding the posts of prime minister, leader of parliament, and party chief simultaneously. A further 89 percent favoured limiting any person to a maximum of two terms as prime minister.

Support for structural changes was also strong. Seventy-one percent endorsed introducing proportional representation in the upper house of a proposed two-chamber parliament, while 69 percent backed the creation of such a bicameral system.

On gender representation, 63 percent supported a rotational system for reserved women’s seats in the lower house, and 69 percent favoured reserving 30 seats for women in the proposed upper chamber.

Respondents also backed measures to ensure more balanced parliamentary leadership, with 86 percent supporting the appointment of a deputy speaker from the opposition in the lower house, and 82 percent supporting the same arrangement for the upper house. Concerns over election impartiality featured prominently.

Eighty-seven percent of participants said any executive action potentially influencing an election should require prior approval from the Election Commission.

Additionally, 86 percent supported a requirement for the commission to certify an election’s fairness, credibility, and acceptability within 48 hours of polling, with the certification to be made public.

In one of the most decisive responses, 92 percent said individuals convicted of crimes, identified as extortionists or terrorists, or found guilty of corruption should be permanently barred from political party membership.

Speaking at the press conference, Sujan Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar said Bangladesh’s current political and institutional arrangements had contributed to the rise of authoritarianism under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“The existing system, processes, and institutions enabled Sheikh Hasina to become an autocrat,” he said. “This is why the system itself must change.”

Majumdar argued that without constitutional safeguards, the concentration of political, legislative, and party leadership in one person would recur, regardless of which party was in power. He suggested the survey’s findings could serve as a framework for reform discussions now under way among political groups and the interim government.

Although the proposed measures – including term limits, proportional representation in the upper house, and mandated opposition leadership roles – would require substantial constitutional changes, the survey results indicate broad public support for a significant overhaul of the political system.

The release of the survey comes amid continuing debate over structural reforms in the wake of the student-led mass movement of August 2024, which brought down Hasina’s government.