The National Citizen Party (NCP), alongside the Jamaat-e-Islami, on Tuesday proposed that not only the next national election but also local government elections be held under a non-party neutral government.
“Everyone wants the national elections to be held under a non-party neutral government. And it will be better if the local government elections are also held under a non-party neutral government,” NCP Joint Convener Sarwar Tusher told reporters during the lunch break of the day's discussions of the second round of dialogues with the National Consensus Commission at the Foreign Service Academy.
About the tenure of the election-time government, Sarwar said the NCP agreed with the proposal of a four-month tenure for the election-time neutral government.
"Some parties support a six-month duration. This matter has not yet been discussed thoroughly. We are flexible about whether the tenure should be three or four months. If the local government elections are included, four months might be necessary,” he said.
However, the BNP wants only the national election to be held under a non-party neutral government and supports a 90-day tenure for such an administration.
The NCP also supported amending Article 70 of the constitution to allow MPs to vote independently on all issues except for the finance bill and vote of no confidence, said Sarwar.
Earlier, Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher told reporters that his party proposed that both national and local government elections should be held under a non-party neutral government.
Tuesday’s session of the second round of talks began at 11am with Commission Vice Chairman Prof Ali Riaz in the chair. Nearly 30 parties, including BNP, Jamaat, and NCP, joined the day’s discussion.
On Monday, Chief Adviser and Commission Chairman Prof Muhammad Yunus inaugurated the second phase of the dialogue.
The Consensus Commission began its first round of talks with political parties on March 20 to forge a national consensus on state reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government.
The commission held discussions with 33 parties and alliances, including BNP, Jamaat, and NCP, before concluding the first round of dialogues on May 19.
Formed on February 15, 2025, under the leadership of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, the commission has been tasked with building a unified national stance on key reform agendas.
