Consensus Commission presents new caretaker government proposal
According to the proposal, a five-member selection committee will pick the chief adviser
New proposal
- General elections must be held within 90 days of Parliament's dissolution
- CA appointment must be finalised either 15 days before or within 15 days after parliament is dissolved
- To this end, a five-member selection committee will be formed
After three rounds of discussion over alternative proposals on the caretaker government, the National Consensus Commission has now tabled a fresh proposal.
The commission's new proposal cuts the number of members in the caretaker government chief adviser selection committee from 13 to 5.
Today (20 July), the 15th day of its second round of meetings, the commission presented this consolidated proposal based on the previous discussions.
Commenting on this, Consensus Commission Vice-Chair Ali Riaz said, "The parties have been given one day to discuss the new proposal among themselves. Further discussions will be held on Tuesday morning."
According to the new proposal, general elections must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of Parliament. The appointment of the chief adviser of the caretaker government must be finalised either 15 days before or within 15 days after Parliament is dissolved.
Today we discussed whether changes can be made to the provisions for the caretaker government as they were laid out in the 13th amendment. We've received the commission's proposal and will review it within the party before responding.
To this end, a five-member selection committee will be formed, headed by the speaker. Other members will include the prime minister, leader of the opposition, deputy speaker (from the opposition), and a representative from the third-largest party in Parliament.
Within 24 hours of forming the committee, political parties and independent MPs will be asked to propose eligible candidates for the post of chief adviser. Each party and independent MP can nominate one candidate.
Within the next 72 hours, the committee will select a suitable person through discussion and recommend their appointment to the president.
If a consensus is not reached, a ranked-choice voting system will be used to select the chief adviser. After nomination, the president will appoint the adviser for 90 days. If the position becomes vacant for any reason, the next most senior person from the ranked list will assume the role.
Ranked-choice voting is an electoral system where voters rank candidates in order of preference—first choice, second choice, third, and so on—instead of selecting just one.
The chief adviser will select up to 15 advisers. The tenure of the caretaker government will be 90 days, which may be extended by up to 30 days in exceptional circumstances.
The proposal also recommends amending Article 58(7)(Gha) to set the maximum age of advisers at 75. The chief adviser will hold the rank of prime minister, and the advisers will hold the rank of ministers. The caretaker government will be dissolved after a new Parliament is formed.
An earlier proposal on 14 July suggested that if the Parliament were bicameral, a 13-member committee would be formed – amending Article 58(Kha) – to select the chief adviser. That committee would include leaders of both houses from the government and opposition, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, a representative of the third-largest party, and one nominee of the President.
If the committee failed to select an adviser within 48 hours, the ruling and opposition parties would each nominate five candidates, and the third-largest party would nominate four. After a public hearing in Parliament, they would select a candidate from each other's list. If there were a common nominee, they would be selected; otherwise, a ranked-choice vote would determine the adviser.
If the adviser's position became vacant, the next person from the earlier ranked list would assume the post, and if needed, the third-ranking candidate would be appointed.
Commenting on the latest proposal, BNP Standing Committee Member Salauddin Ahmed said, "Today we discussed whether changes can be made to the provisions for the caretaker government as they were laid out in the 13th amendment. We've received the commission's proposal and will review it within the party before responding."
On the issue of holding multiple positions, he said, "We've consistently argued – both in writing and earlier – that in the cradle of democracy, the UK, the party chief and prime minister are often the same person. So we suggest keeping the option open. This debate may continue for some time. We shouldn't impose unnecessary restrictions."
NCP's Senior Joint Convener Ariful Islam Adib stated, "Our proposal is that the prime minister, leader of the house, and party chief must be three separate individuals. This ensures the emergence of alternative leadership. If the prime minister holds multiple posts, it stifles the development of alternatives."
Jamaat-e-Islami's Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said, "We have no objection to whether the selection committee for the chief adviser has 7 or 5 members. However, we do not support the ranked-choice method because it can lead to horse-trading. We want the selection to be based on consensus."
On the issue of holding multiple positions, he added, "We have no objection to one person being both the prime minister and leader of the house. But we do object to the prime minister also serving as the party chief."