BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said on Thursday that a consensus has been reached on limiting the prime minister’s tenure to a maximum of two terms (ten years), and this proposal was originally made by the BNP eight years ago.
He was speaking at a press conference at the BNP Chairperson’s political office in Gulshan, Dhaka. Earlier in the day, European Union ambassador to Bangladesh, Michael Miller, held a meeting with a BNP delegation.
Following the meeting, Amir Khasru told reporters that BNP had clearly included this proposal in its “Vision 2030” and that the idea of restricting the prime minister’s tenure is not new.
“Those who are now talking about reforms are merely echoing what we had proposed years ago. There is no reason for disagreement on this matter,” he said in response to a question from journalists.
Commenting on the discussions held during the meeting with Ambassador Michael, Amir Khasru said the upcoming national election was the primary topic.
“Everyone is preparing for the general election, which is likely to take place in February. They are hopeful that through this election, Bangladesh will return to a democratic process,” he added.
He further mentioned that several issues were discussed, including short-term, medium-term, and long-term policy matters.
“These are the kinds of decisions that can only be taken comfortably with an elected government,” he said, noting that the discussions were extensive.