Consensus Commission to being talks with political parties from Thursday
First phase of talks with the LDP, then schedules for discussions with other political parties will be announced gradually
The National Consensus Commission is set to initiate discussions with political parties starting Thursday, aiming to build national consensus on reform initiatives.
The first phase of discussions will begin at 3pm with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Schedules for talks with other political parties will be announced gradually, according to a notification issued today (18 March).
Meanwhile, two more political parties – Jatiya Ganofront and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) – submitted their views on the reform recommendations to the National Consensus Commission today.
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With their submissions, a total of 15 political parties have provided their opinions so far. However, major political parties, including BNP and Jamaat, are yet to send their responses.
The 15 parties are Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Khelafat Majlish, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, Zaker Party, Bhasani Onusari Parishad, Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM), Amjanatar Dal, Rashtra Sanskar Andolon, Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Bangladesh Jasad, Bangladesh Labour Party, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party), Nagorik Oikya, Jatiya Ganofront and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD).
Besides, 14 more political parties have requested additional time to finalise their opinions, while the Consensus Commission is reaching out again to the remaining nine parties.
The National Consensus Commission, formed to create a national consensus on reforms under the leadership of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, began its activities on 15 February.
It has since received reports containing recommendations from the Constitution Reform Commission, Public Administration Reform Commission, Electoral Reform Commission, Judiciary Reform Commission, and Anti-Corruption Commission Reform Commission.
The commission identified 166 key recommendations from the reports to seek feedback from political parties. It then sent a set of recommendations in a spreadsheet format to 38 political parties in the first week of March, requesting their specific opinions on the proposed reforms by 13 March. But only seven parties met the deadline.
