Most political parties have agreed to a change in the presidential election procedure, according to Professor Ali Riaz, vice president of the National Consensus Commission.
He made these remarks to the media on Thursday after the fourth day of the second phase of daylong discussions with political parties at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.
He said: “All political parties have agreed on the need to reform the procedure for electing the president. They have said that Article 48(1) of the constitution must be amended.”
The meeting, chaired by Professor Ali Riaz, was attended by BNP’s Salahuddin Ahmed, Ismail Zabihullah, Professor Rohran Uddin Khan; Jamaat-e-Islami’s Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Rafiqul Islam Khan, Hamidur Rahman Azad; NCP’s Hasnat Abdullah; Gano Front’s Tipu Biswas; Khelafat Majlish’s Ahmed Abdul Quader; Revolutionary Workers Party’s Saiful Haque; Bangladesh Jasad’s Mushtaq Hossain; CPB’s Ruhin Hossain Prince; Basad’s Bazlur Rashid; Ganosamhati Andolan’s Zonayed Saki; AB Party’s Mojibur Rahman Monju; Labour Party’s Mostafizur Rahman Iran; National Party’s Syed Ehsanul Huda; LDP’s Redwan Ahmed; and BLDP’s Shahadat Hossain Selim, among representatives from 30 political parties.
Professor Ali Riaz added: “Since the matter of changing the presidential election method is linked to the concept of a bicameral legislature, we also discussed that issue today.”
He also said: “Among those who expressed their opinions, most agreed on having 100 seats in the upper house. However, further discussions are needed on related matters.”
He emphasized: “The discussions between political parties and the National Consensus Commission are being held in a cordial environment. Every party has the opportunity to express its views independently. Despite differences in opinion, there is mutual respect among the parties.”
Following the meeting, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed spoke to journalists.
He said: “Over the past three days, discussions have covered Article 70, the parliamentary standing committees, reserved seats for women, and the appointment of the chief justice.”’
He added: “On Wednesday, there were lengthy discussions on the NCC and the presidential election, but no decision was reached. That’s why today’s focus remained on the presidential election procedure.”
He continued: “Debate continues regarding the powers of the president, who will elect the president, and whether the parliament should be bicameral. The method of electoral voting is still under discussion.”
He added: “The decision on a bicameral parliament is still pending. A constitutional amendment is possible if two-thirds of the votes are achieved. However, if voting for the upper house is done through proportional representation (PR), securing a simple majority will be difficult. Therefore, we do not support the PR method.”
Following the political shift on August 5, 2024, reports from six reform commissions formed last October were submitted in February. To build consensus around their recommendations, the National Consensus Commission was launched on February 15.
The commission sought opinions from 38 political parties and coalitions on 166 recommendations from the Constitution Reform Commission, Electoral Reform Commission, Judiciary Reform Commission, Anti-Corruption Reform Commission, and Public Administration Reform Commission.
Of these, 33 parties provided feedback. From March 20 to May 19, the commission held 45 sessions with the parties, completing the first round of dialogue.
In some cases, meetings with individual parties continued over multiple days. According to the commission, partial or full consensus was achieved on several issues.
Following the completion of the first phase of dialogue before Eid-ul-Azha, the second phase began on June 2 with the political parties. Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus was present at the meeting.
The second round has been ongoing for three consecutive days since Tuesday, after the Eid holidays. Further discussions on unresolved issues are expected to resume on Sunday next week.
