Staff Reporter :
Discussions over a proposed term limit for the Prime Minister and the foundational principles of the Constitution took center stage during Sunday’s dialogue between the National Consensus Commission (NCC) and political parties, according to NCC Vice-Chair Ali Riaz.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Riaz said the parties had come “close to agreement” on limiting the tenure of the Prime Minister, though three parties – the BNP, BLDP, and NDM – sought additional time to consult with their leadership, given the issue’s link with broader constitutional reforms and the proposed creation of an Upper House of Parliament.
He expressed optimism that the next round of talks would yield consensus.
On the matter of constitutional principles, Riaz noted that the NCC would circulate a draft proposal summarizing the day’s discussions and incorporating the views of the participating parties.
The talks were adjourned for two days to allow for further internal deliberations, he added.
Sunday’s session, held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, marked the fifth day of the commission’s second round of dialogue with political parties. In the morning, the NCC resumed deliberations on the Prime Minister’s tenure – a key point on the agenda.
So far, despite 50 formal sessions across two rounds of talks, political parties have only reached two concrete agreements. First, under a reformed Article 70 of the Constitution, MPs will now be allowed to vote against their own party on all matters except for financial bills and motions of confidence. The BNP, however, submitted a dissenting note, insisting that constitutional amendments and national security issues should also be exempted from the party-line vote.
Second, the heads of four permanent parliamentary committees – Public Accounts, Privileges, Estimates, and Undertakings – must be selected from opposition parties. Even so, several parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, the NCP, and others, continue to demand that opposition MPs be granted chairmanships of additional committees, proportional to their representation in Parliament.
Major questions remain unresolved. While most parties have tentatively agreed to establish an Upper House of Parliament and increase the number of women’s seats, there is no consensus yet on the method of election for these positions.
Likewise, discussions continue on key issues such as the creation of a National Constitutional Council (NCC), reforms to the presidential election process, and the appointment procedures for the Chief Justice – with a few parties holding differing views.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami also made its position clear on the Prime Minister’s tenure. Addressing the media during a break in Sunday’s meeting, Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said the party opposes allowing any individual to serve as Prime Minister for more than ten years in total.
“Our term is five years. If someone completes two full terms, they should not be eligible to return as Prime Minister. There are numerous examples of this around the world. We think this is essential for Bangladesh, and we have nearly reached a consensus on this point,” he said.
In addition to Jamaat, a total of 30 political parties took part in Sunday’s discussions, including the BNP, NCP, Islami Andolon, Gono Odhikar Parishad, and Ganosamhati Andolon.
During last week’s earlier round of dialogue, participants debated a range of issues including the presidential election, the Prime Minister’s tenure, the Constitution’s fundamental principles, and constituency delimitation, but failed to reach consensus.
As the talks continue, the NCC leadership remains hopeful that progress can be made in bridging the remaining divides and achieving broad political agreement on the path to constitutional reform.
