Professor Dr. Ali Riaz, Vice President of the National Consensus Commission, stated that by the end of this month, political parties must finalize the issues on which consensus can be reached. He made this statement during the 21st day of the second round of meetings between the Commission and political parties, held on Tuesday (July 29) at the Foreign Service Academy’s Doel Hall.
He noted that a draft of preliminary consensus will be sent to the parties today or tomorrow, and finalization must be completed by July 31.
So far, consensus has been reached on 12 issues, though several include a “note of dissent.” The agreed-upon issues are:
- Article 70 of the Constitution (note of dissent)
- Chairmanship of Parliamentary Standing Committees
- Delimitation of electoral constituencies
- Provisions related to presidential pardon
- Decentralization of the judiciary
- Framework for declaring a state of emergency
- Appointment of Chief Justice (note of dissent)
- Constitutional amendment process
- Provision for holding multiple posts by the Prime Minister (note)
- Rules for appointing the Election Commission
- Term length of the Prime Minister
- Formation of a Police Commission
The morning session also initiated discussions on unresolved issues such as the framework for a caretaker government and women’s representation. The Commission stated that political parties must submit their feedback on the second-round draft by tomorrow afternoon.
Representatives from nearly 30 political parties participated in the discussion, including BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Gonoshonghoti, NCP, CPB, AB Party, and the Revolutionary Workers Party.
Commission members present at the meeting included Justice Emdadul Haque, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, Safar Raj Hossain, Dr. Ayub Mia, and Chief Advisor’s Special Assistant Monir Haidar.