Political parties agree on special committee for constituency delimitation, reintroduction of caretaker govt
Political parties reached an agreement on forming a specialised committee to delimit electoral constituencies, a provision that will be added to the Constitution.
Additionally, while all parties expressed policy-level agreement on the issue of a caretaker government, discussions on its structure, tenure, and responsibilities will continue.
The development came on the third day of the second phase of discussions with political parties, organised by the National Consensus Commission.
Today, 30 parties – including BNP, NCP and Jamaat-e-Islami – took part in a day-long dialogue at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka's Bailey Road.
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Speaking to reporters after the session, Commission Vice-Chair Professor Ali Riaz said consensus was reached on both immediate and long-term measures for constituency boundary delimitation.
For the upcoming 13th national parliamentary election, a specialised committee comprising qualified individuals will determine constituency boundaries based on its recommendations. The Election Commission (EC) will form the committee.
Riaz noted that the Constitution will be amended – specifically Article 119(1)(ga) – to add a clause mandating the formation of a specialised committee by law after every census or at least every 10 years.
On the caretaker government issue, Ali Riaz said all political parties unanimously support its reintroduction. The structure and authority of such a government were discussed openly, and parties have reached closer ground on these matters.
We're offering full cooperation: Salahuddin
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin said that his party is fully cooperating, and should not be blamed for stalling consensus.
On the appointment of the chief adviser to the caretaker government, he said the chief adviser should not be appointed only from the judiciary, and most political parties agreed on this.
He added that while most parties support a 90-day tenure for the caretaker government, provisions can be made to extend this by 30 days in emergencies. "Some progress has been made, particularly by cancelling some parts of the 15th Amendment," he said.
On the appointment of the chief justice, Salahuddin said, "We've suggested the Appellate Division judges be considered for the position. Only one party disagreed. We've also submitted opinions on 134 proposals from the Constitutional Reform Commission, including the formation of a strong Ombudsman."
Regarding constituency boundaries, he said, "It was I who proposed a constitutional provision for a specialised committee to oversee delimitation after every census. Everyone agreed. Today's discussions made good progress."
Mentioning that the tenures of local government bodies end at different times, he opposed the idea of these elections being held under caretaker government. "These are unrealistic proposals," he said.
Jamaat for 4-month caretaker govt
Regarding the caretaker government, Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Jamaat's Deputy Ameer, stated that the formation and tenure remain under discussion. Jamaat suggested a four-month tenure instead of three and demanded that local government elections also be held under the caretaker administration.
He said everyone opposed that the president should serve as chief adviser, and discussions are ongoing on whether to exclude the judiciary from this role.
Regarding the proposed delimitation committee, he clarified, "The committee will be independent, made up of experts. While there was debate over whether it should be called a 'commission' or 'committee,' consensus was ultimately reached to go with 'committee'."
NCP for all-party committee to pick CA
NCP's senior joint convener Ariful Islam Adib said they initially proposed an independent Constituency Delimitation Commission. However, in the interest of consensus, they now support a constitutional specialised committee under the EC.
NCP also proposed an All-Party Parliamentary Committee comprising 11 members from different parties to select the chief adviser for the caretaker government. "Many parties have agreed to revisit this proposal," he said.
The political parties and the Commission are scheduled to resume discussions at 10:30am today.
