Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Nayeb-e-Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, said that a majority of political parties have reached a consensus on the proposition that no individual should serve more than two terms as prime ninister.
He made the comments on Thursday evening following the second session of the National Consensus Commission’s second-phase meetings.
The meeting was held at the Foreign Service Academy in Bailey Road, Dhaka, as part of efforts to establish national consensus.
Dr Taher said: “We have made progress on two key points. Among them, there is general agreement among most political parties regarding the election of the president. The consensus is that members of both the upper and lower chambers will elect the president, and the concept of a constitutional or electoral college will be expanded slightly.”
He further noted that the Commission’s proposal is to extend voting rights up to Union Council members, numbering approximately 70,000 to 75,000.
“We have suggested that while the electoral base should indeed be expanded, it need not be so vast. It can be adequately covered by district councils and municipalities, while maintaining the bicameral legislature,” he added.
Regarding the presidential election, Dr Taher said Jamaat-e-Islami supports a secret ballot system.
“This would create an opening for individuals outside the majority party to be elected President. Although the president will most likely be from the majority party, there will still be a narrow but viable opportunity for an alternative candidate, which is a position we support," he said.
He went on to say: “The second point we raised concerns the tenure of the prime minister. A majority of the parties, to a large extent, agreed that no individual should serve more than two terms as prime minister."
He said: "However, some parties, including the BNP, did not fully concur. They proposed that an individual may serve two consecutive terms, then take a break and may subsequently be re-elected as prime minister.”
Dr Taher concluded: “There is a side reference among us regarding this matter, but the majority believes that a person should not be eligible to serve as prime minister after completing two terms.”
He also mentioned that there are additional agenda items concerning the powers of the Prime Minister, which could not be discussed due to time constraints.
These pending issues will be addressed in the next session, scheduled for Sunday.
