The political parties attending the fifth-day session of the second round of the National Consensus Commission-hosted dialogue on Thursday remained divided over key issues, including the method of electing the president and the composition of the proposed upper house.
A majority of the parties, however, favoured electing the president through a secret ballot, proportional representation in Jatiya Sangsad based on the votes casted and limiting any individual to two terms as prime minister.
Representatives of 30 political parties took part in the meeting at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.
Presided over by NCC vice-chair Professor Ali Riaz, the meeting, adjourned on Wednesday, resumed with NCC member Justice Emdadul Haque outlining the proposed powers of the president. Parties had earlier requested that the discussion on forming an electoral college to elect the president be preceded by a clear understanding of the president鈥檚 authorities.
Presenting reform proposals related to presidential powers, Emdadul said that three of the six reform commissions had suggested ensuring the president鈥檚 independent role in taking decisions, particularly about the judiciary.
Citing several reform聽 proposals, he said that the president鈥檚 power to dissolve parliament independently and to play a central role in forming interim governments were recommended to curb the prime minister鈥檚 power.
The session then saw a lively debate over the presidential election process, with many parties advocating for a secret ballot conducted by an electoral college made up of lawmakers as well as representatives from district and city coordination councils.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, Liberal Democratic Party secretary general Redwan Ahmed, and Gono Forum presidium member Jaglul Haider favoured continuing with the existing electoral system.
Hamidur Rahman Azad of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami said that his party supported electoral college with reservation that local government elections should also be held under a caretaker government.聽聽
Zaved Rasin of the National Citizen Party, Maulana Yusuf Ashraf of the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Shahid Uddin Mahmood Shapon of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD, and several other politicians supported forming the electoral college with representatives from local government bodies, including union
parishad.
They strongly recommended a secret ballot to elect the president directly.
Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh general secretary Saiful Huq supported the recommendations but sought limiting the electoral college within the members of bicameral parliament, district, and city corporation representatives.
Ali Riaz summed up the debate, saying that amending the constitution鈥檚 relevant article to allow secret ballot to elect president would be the key if reforms were to proceed.
The NCC swiftly shifted the discussion on the electoral college issue to the bicameral parliament aspect amid requests from several parties to initiate a debate over this aspect.
Socialist Party of Bangladesh鈥檚 Bazlur Rashid Firoz and BNP鈥檚 Salahuddin Ahmed questioned the inclusion of the topic ahead of the schedule.
The Jamaat recommended proportional representation at both the upper and lower houses.聽聽聽
Masud Rana of the Socialist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist) and Shahid Uddin Mahmod Shapon of the JSD, and Maulana Abdul Mazed Atahari of the Bangladesh Nizam e Islam Party, among others, supported a two-chamber parliament representing different classes, including farmers, labourers, and marginalised groups.
Parties, including the Ganosamhati Andolan, Gana Adhikar Parishad, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Amar Bangladesh Party, strongly recommended proportional representation on the basis of the votes casted.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh鈥檚 Monjurul Islam Afandi opposed the idea, arguing for strengthening the lower house first.
Some party leaders like National Democratic Party鈥檚 Mominul Amin backed a 100-member upper house but wanted the details to be finalised by the next parliament.
The final agenda of the day focused on limiting the term of the prime minister.
The Constitution Reform Commission proposed a maximum of two terms for any individual to hold the post.
BNP鈥檚 Salahuddin Ahmed opposed the idea, arguing that it would undermine executive authority.
In contrast, Jaglul Haider of the Gono Forum, Ruhin Hossain Prince of the Communist Party of Bangladesh and Anwarul Islam Babu of the Bangladesh Jasod endorsed the two-term limit.
Several others, including Jamaat鈥檚 Rafiqul Islam Khan, NCP鈥檚 Zaved Rasin, SPB鈥檚 Bazlur Rashid Firoz, AB Party鈥檚 Mojibur Rahman Monju and Ganosamhati Andolan鈥檚 Zonayed Saki and Sadhana Mahal of the Aam Janata Dal supported the lifetime two-term cap.
Yusuf Ashraf of the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Monjurul Islam Afandi of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, and Fariduzzaman Farhad of the National People鈥檚 Party suggested that a person should be made eligible for the prime minister鈥檚 post for the term after taking a break following serving in this position for two consecutive tenures.
This particular recommendation matched with that of the BNP.
BNP鈥檚 Salahuddin said that if the ceiling was planned to curb the executive power of the prime minister there was no need for the proposed National Constitutional Council.
However, opposition also came from LDP鈥檚 Redwan Ahmed and NDM鈥檚 Mominul Amin, who maintained that such limits should be left to the ruling party鈥檚 decision.
At one moment of the meeting, Nurul Haque Nur of the Gana Adhikar Parishad and Mostafizur Rahman Iran of the Bangladesh Labour Party criticised the NCC to invite parties that were allies of the ousted Awami League.
The meeting was adjourned by NCC vice-chair Ali Riaz at 5:36pm.
The sixth session of the dialogue is scheduled for Sunday at the same venue.
