The BNP has called for a clear and specific time limit on how long a person can serve as prime minister, suggesting that the current ambiguity around the number of terms and their duration creates confusion.
BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed made the statement on Sunday afternoon, following a dialogue with the National Consensus Commission at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.
He said confusion has arisen over the terms “tenure” and “term count,” with some interpreting it as a maximum of two terms and others as two separate tenures.
"A person could serve multiple short stints as prime minister, making the term count meaningless in terms of actual time in office," he noted.
Salahuddin added that the party's written proposal suggests no individual should serve as prime minister for more than two consecutive terms.
However, whether a full term is completed depends on the duration of the parliament, which, although defined as five years in the Constitution, may vary due to political realities.
Instead of focusing solely on the number of terms, Salahuddin argued that the real question should be: how many years in total can one person serve as prime minister during their lifetime?
“I have not proposed a specific number of years, as that requires collective discussion within the party,” he said.
He added that the BNP is willing to adopt a clear and practical position for the sake of national consensus. "Whether defined by tenure or years, the key objective is to ensure checks on executive power and maintain democratic stability."
