Prof Ali Riaz, vice-chairman of the National Consensus Commission, has said that political parties have yet to reach an agreement on two key issues—women’s reserved seats and the formation of an upper house in parliament.
These matters will be discussed again on Tuesday, Ali Riaz told journalists on Monday after the 13th day of the second phase of talks between the commission and political parties, held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.
He said that while all parties agree on the proposal to permanently allocate 100 seats for women in parliament, procedural disagreements remain.
He explained that the commission had offered two options in previous discussions: increasing the number of reserved seats for women from 50 to 100 based on proportional representation of party seats or holding direct elections for the women’s seats.
"As no consensus was reached on either, the commission has now proposed an alternative, amending Article 65 of the constitution to ensure women's representation differently.
"Under this proposal, parties nominating candidates in more than 25 constituencies would be required to ensure that at least one-third of their candidates are women."
Ali Riaz said there is still no agreement on the formation of an upper house in parliament, adding that the commission has presented two proposals, and political parties have also made some suggestions during discussions. "Therefore, talks on this issue will continue for further review."
Representatives from 30 political parties participated in the discussion, including the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, NCP, and Gono Odhikar Parishad.