A survey conducted by the Citizens for Good Governance, better known as Shujan, has found that 83 per cent of the respondents favour a 120-day neutral election-time government and 87 per cent back the Election Commission鈥檚 approval for executive decisions during polls.
The survey, released on Tuesday, also shows that 88 per cent of the respondents seek candidates鈥� disqualification for providing false report on his or her election expenses.
A member of the civic group, Ekram Hossain, presented the survey findings at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters鈥� Unity.
He said that 83 per cent of the respondents favoured 鈥榥o vote鈥� option on ballots, while 79 per cent demanded an investigation into irregularities and fraud in the past three national elections and the trial of those involved in the misdeeds.
The public opinion survey was conducted between May and July this year, covering people from 64 districts.聽
A total of 1,373 people, including 335 women, 1,033 men, and five third-gender individuals, responded to the survey, Ekram said.
He said that each of the respondents answered 40 questions.
According to the survey, 69 per cent of the respondents favoured a bicameral legislature, 71 per cent supported proportional representation, and 69 per cent supported 30 reserved seats for women in the upper house.
In the second-round dialogue of the National Consensus Commission, the majority of 30 political parties agreed to a bicameral legislature, while some of them supported proportional representation in the parliament.
Some parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, however, expressed their dissent on proportional representation.
Eighty-seven per cent of the respondents opposed an individual鈥檚 multiple roles as the prime minister, the leader of the parliament, and a party chief, while 86 per cent wanted the deputy speaker of parliament to be appointed from the opposition, the survey found.
In the NCC dialogue, political parties reached an overwhelming consensus on appointing the deputy speaker from the opposition.
The survey also counted that 87 per cent of the respondents favoured a cabinet-led government, 88 per cent wanted an expansion of the president鈥檚 power, and 87 per cent supported amending article 70 of the constitution. The article bars lawmakers from voting against bills brought by their party in parliament.
Ninety per cent of respondents supported establishing an independent police commission while 88 per cent wanted internet services to be included as a basic right alongside food, education, healthcare, and housing.
Expecting reforms of political parties, 92 per cent wanted identified criminals, extortionists, corrupt individuals, and convicted persons to be ineligible for political party membership.
Addressing the press conference as a guest, National Consensus Commission member Badiul Alam Majumdar, also a former Shujan secretary, said, 鈥楾he majority of the citizens have expressed their desire for massive reforms. They want change. They want the country free from corruption and political repression.鈥櫬犅�
Dhaka University鈥檚 mass communication and journalism teacher, Professor Robaet Ferdous, citing money laundering and corruption during past governments, said, 鈥楨lections alone do not ensure good governance.鈥�
Robaet, also an executive member of Shujan, stressed the need for reforms within political parties.
