The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has reiterated its firm stance that only the national parliamentary election—not local government polls—should be conducted under a non-partisan caretaker government, with the tenure limited to 90 days.
Speaking to reporters during a break in Tuesday’s session of the National Consensus Commission talks at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed dismissed proposals for a four-month caretaker term and its involvement in local elections. “We believe a three-month timeframe is sufficient and appropriate,” he said.
Addressing constitutional reforms, Salahuddin reiterated BNP’s proposal to amend Article 70 to allow MPs cross-party voting—excluding matters of national security, the finance bill, votes of no confidence, and constitutional amendments. “During crises like war, lawmakers should have the freedom to vote independently,” he explained.
He also pushed back against the idea that all parliamentary standing committees be chaired by the opposition, calling it impractical, though he welcomed partial opposition leadership in some committees.
The session, chaired by Commission Chairman Prof Ali Riaz, brought together nearly 30 political parties, including BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party (NCP). The ongoing second round of talks, inaugurated Monday by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, aims to build national consensus on key electoral and governance reforms.
