What reforms BNP, Jamaat, others advocating for constitution?

Political parties are set to submit their recommendations to the Constitutional Reform Commission today, in response to the commission's earlier request for written proposals on constitutional reforms by this deadline.

The BNP plans to propose a bicameral parliament, a limit on prime ministers serving more than two consecutive terms, and a system of checks and balances between the president and prime minister, among other suggestions.

The National Citizens' Committee intends to propose proportional representation for 100 seats, a four-year parliamentary term, and the drafting of a new constitution, according to members of the parties.

Except for Jamaat, nearly all parties, including the BNP and National Citizens' Committee, support the idea of a bicameral parliament. 

While the BNP opposes proportional representation, Jamaat, smaller parties, and leftist groups favour elections based on proportional representation.

Additionally, most parties agree on reducing the prime minister's powers to ensure a better balance between the roles of the president and the prime minister.

An adviser to the interim government, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told TBS, "After consulting with all parties and stakeholders, the Constitution Reform Commission will provide a draft to the parties. They will then make further amendments and resubmit their proposals. Once finalised, the government is considering holding a 'referendum' on the draft constitution."

What BNP proposes 

BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said, "We haven't defined the exact balance of power between the president and prime minister yet, but our proposal will include a system of checks and balances for these two key positions."

He added, "No one will be allowed to serve as prime minister for more than two consecutive terms. This will prevent anyone from becoming a monstrous fascist like Sheikh Hasina. However, they can return after sitting out one term."

Regarding the bicameral parliament, Khasru said, "The upper house of parliament will be formed. We haven't decided yet whether it will have 100, 200, or 300 members, but each party will nominate MPs based on their seats in the lower house."

He added, "The most talented and innovative individuals in their fields will be MPs in the upper house. They will set state policies, and their intellectual discussions will influence decisions in the lower house."

BNP is finalising proposals for constitutional and other key reforms based on their 31-point reform agenda. It plans to propose declaring equality, human dignity, and justice as the fundamental principles of the Constitution. 

The party has mostly completed its proposals for reforms to the constitution, Election Commission, and police department.

BNP Standing Committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain told TBS, "We haven't finalised any aspect of the constitutional reform yet. The government's Constitution Reform Commission will collect proposals from all parties and create a draft. Once we receive that draft, we will review it and send our final proposals back to them."

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other senior leaders have stated that they disagree with the proportional representation proposals from Jamaat and smaller parties.

BNP leaders argue that the proportional representation system is not practical for Bangladesh. They believe that no party will likely secure a majority, which could lead to a hung parliament most of the time.

What Jamaat seeks 

Jamaat's proposal will include introducing a proportional representation,  an electoral system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them.

The party will seek a caretaker government system as a permanent part of the constitution, and abolishing political party registration rules.

Additionally, Jamaat will propose appointing a deputy speaker from the main opposition party, creating a shadow cabinet led by the parliamentary opposition leader, and ensuring local government elections are non-partisan. 

It will also propose holding national parliamentary elections over multiple days, according to sources within the party.

Jamaat's Assistant Secretary General Maulana Abdul Halim told TBS, "We will propose several changes, including proportional representation and reducing the powers of both the president and prime minister.

"We support a proportional electoral system to prevent the influence of muscle power and black money in elections and to create a more inclusive parliament. In this system, every voter's vote has an impact and contributes to the parliament."

Regarding the balance of power between the president and prime minister, Abdul Halim said, "We want to reduce the prime minister's powers, but we also cannot give too much power to the president, as that could make parliament ineffective. The prime minister's powers can be reduced while keeping parliament fully functional."

Abdul Halim also noted that Jamaat's proposal does not include the BNP's idea of a bicameral parliament.

Proposals from other organisations 

The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and the National Citizens' Committee will also submit their proposals to the Constitutional Reform Commission, which, led by Professor Ali Riaz, has already begun consultations with prominent citizens and other stakeholders.

Sarwar Tushar, a member of the National Citizens' Committee, told TBS, "We want a new constitution. The parliament will be called the 'Legislative Assembly.' Proportional representation will be used for 100 seats in the upper house, which will be called the National Assembly and led by the president.

"The lower house will have 200 seats, directly elected by voters, and led by the prime minister. The parliamentary term will be 4 years, with mid-term elections for 50 to 60 seats after 2 years to test the government's popularity, though the government will not change."

Sarwar Tushar also said, "We will propose declaring the event on 17 April 1971, as the birth of the first republic and 2024 as the second republic in the constitution."

He added, "In the future, constitutional changes should be made through a direct referendum, not by MPs' votes. We will also propose that any bill, after being discussed in both houses of parliament, must be passed with the president's approval."

Saiful Haque, general secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, told TBS, "We support proportional representation and a bicameral parliament. We will propose removing the provision that allows a bill to pass even if the president does not sign it within 15 days.

"We want the president to have the power to send any bill back to parliament for further discussion and review if he disagrees with it."

Zonayed Saki, the chief coordinator of Ganosanhati Andolan (Mass Solidarity Movement), said, "We support proportional representation and a bicameral parliament. However, we want the upper house to have 300 MPs, all directly elected by the people, not appointed like the current women MPs.

"Each party will submit a panel before the elections, and based on the votes each party receives, they will be allocated seats in the upper house."

He also noted that, except for the BNP, almost all parties, including Islami Andolan Bangladesh (led by Charmonai Pir), Gono Odhikar Parishad, Nagarik Oikya, and Amar Bangladesh Party, support proportional representation.

Nearly all parties, except Jamaat, favour a bicameral parliament. However, Jamaat has said they are open to considering the bicameral system if all parties agree, and there is no rigid stance within the party on the matter, Zonayed Saki added.