National Consensus Commission (NCC) Vice-Chairman Ali Riaz today said all political parties are in unanimous agreement on reinstating the caretaker government, while most have also voiced support for establishing a bicameral parliament.
He added that most parties have agreed to establish an independent investigation commission to identify officials who acted against the July uprising, were involved in the activities of genocide and repression, as well as those accused of electoral fraud and corruption, and to take appropriate action against them.
Ali Riaz revealed this at a press conference held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, following the end of the first phase of the National Consensus Commission’s discussions with political parties.
Regarding the recommendations of the Constitutional Reform Commission, he said that there is unanimous agreement among political parties on re-establishing the caretaker government.
Most parties, however, have opposed incorporation of the term “pluralism” in the proposed constitutional clause that would enshrine “equality, human dignity, social justice, pluralism, and democracy” as the fundamental principles of the state.
There is general consensus on the other four principles, though many parties have suggested that additional issues should also be incorporated, he said, adding that most parties have agreed in principle to the formation of a bicameral legislature, although some have expressed a preference for retaining a unicameral system.
On the issue of reserving 100 seats for women in the lower house, there is broad agreement, but opinions differ on the method of implementation, said Ali Riaz.
He continued that both proponents of a bicameral legislature and those favoring a unicameral system agree that the position of Deputy Speaker in the legislature should be given to a member of the opposition.
Among the parties supporting the creation of an upper house, he said, there is agreement that it should comprise 100 members.
However, there is no consensus on the method of electing these representatives, he added.
While the Constitutional Reform Commission’s recommendation of proportional representation has received support from a majority, it has not been universally accepted, he mentioned.
Ali Riaz said there is broad consensus among political parties on amending Article 48(a) of the Constitution, which outlines the powers of the President.
However, opinions diverge on how to reform Article 70, which addresses the balance of power between the Prime Minister and the President—specifically, the provision that prohibits members of Parliament from voting against their own party, he said.
He said there is also general agreement on the need for reform, parties have only reached consensus on a limited set of issues where party-line voting should remain mandatory.
He went on, saying that most political parties have agreed that party discipline should be mandatory in Parliament on specific matters such as the national budget (finance bill), vote of confidence, and constitutional amendment bills.
Additionally, some parties have proposed expanding this scope to include issues like national security legislation, he added.
Ali Riaz said there is near-unanimous agreement on granting the leadership of key parliamentary standing committees to members of the opposition.
In this regard, there is serious consideration of mandating that opposition MPs chair certain critical committees, such as the Public Accounts Committee, the Estimates Committee, the Committee on Public Undertakings, and the Privileges Committee, he said.
Speaking on the recommendations of the Public Administration Reform Commission, Ali Riaz said that most political parties support the formation of an independent investigation commission to identify officials who were involved in the activities against July uprising, associated with acts of genocide and repression, and those accused of electoral fraud and corruption— and to take appropriate action against them.
Besides, all parties agreed on the proposal to amend the “Right to Information Act, 2009”. Similarly, there is broad, principled agreement among the parties to revise the Official Secrecy Act, 1923. Most parties have also agreed, in principle, to restructure the current Public Service Commission into three separate commissions, each consisting of eight members.
On the proposal to form district and upazila-level “Citizen Committees”, modeled after the parliamentary standing committees and composed of individuals from various professions, the political parties showed mixed reactions. However, most parties agreed in principle to reestablish civil and criminal magistrate courts at the upazila level in consultation with the Supreme Court.
Moreover, there is widespread support for the formation of an independent and permanent Public Administration Reform Commission to oversee reform implementation. Most political parties also support the direct election of municipal (pourashava) chairman. All parties agree on separating the audit function from the accounts department.
However, most parties did not support the proposal to:
Divide the four oldest divisions of the country into four provinces and introduce a provincial system of governance; abolish the existing district council system; elect municipal chairman through votes by ward members; and eliminate the post of Vice Chairman in Upazila Parishads.
Regarding the recommendations of the Anti-Corruption Commission Reform Commission, Ali Riaz stated that political parties are broadly in agreement with its proposals. One key area of consensus is the enactment of a law to prevent and address conflicts of interest as a safeguard against the misuse of state and legal authority.
There is near-unanimous support for proposals aimed at strengthening the independence, effectiveness, and dynamism of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), as well as enhancing its transparency, integrity, and accountability. Most political parties also agree with the proposal to grant constitutional recognition to the ACC.
The National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman said most political parties have expressed agreement, in principle, with the proposal to establish an Anti-Corruption Ombudsman and to empower this office to ensure proper implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy. However, the issue remains unresolved as some parties have only partially agreed with the proposal.
All parties have either fully or partially agreed in principle to the proposal aimed at ensuring transparency and integrity in political and electoral financing.
Besides, there was unanimous agreement among all parties on the proposal to bring all government service delivery agencies under complete end-to-end automation, including service operations and information management, he said.
He said a majority of parties agreed with the proposal for Bangladesh to join the Open Government Partnership (OGP) as a state member to support the adoption of the Common Reporting Standard and open governance mechanisms to combat tax evasion and money laundering.
All parties supported the recommendation to treat bribery in the private sector as a distinct criminal offense, in accordance with Article 21 of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), he added.
Regarding judicial reform, it was noted that all parties agreed in principle to the recommendation for effective separation of the judiciary from the executive by establishing a Supreme Court Secretariat and enacting the necessary legislation.
All parties also agreed to the recommendation to amend Article 116 of the Constitution and related rules to give full authority over judges’ employment matters to the Supreme Court.
There was consensus among all parties on considering the display of political loyalty or expression of political views by judges as misconduct, and to introduce provisions for disciplinary action accordingly, he disclosed.
He went on, saying that the proposal to establish a permanent Government Attorney Service comprising both Supreme Court and district units received partial or full principled agreement from the parties.
A majority of parties agreed in principle to the proposal to abolish the President’s power to appoint the Chief Justice and instead, empower the most senior judge of the Appellate Division to assume the position, he said.
However, some parties proposed that the Chief Justice be appointed from among the three most senior judges, he added.
Moreover, there was unanimous agreement in principle to set a minimum of seven judges in the Appellate Division and to appoint an adequate number of judges to the Appellate and High Court Divisions based on the Chief Justice’s recommendations.
Ali Riaz said that all parties agreed in principle to the proposal for the Judicial Council to formulate and publish a code of conduct for former judges, and to introduce disciplinary measures such as issuing warnings and, in appropriate cases, restricting the use of judicial titles.
He said that there was also general agreement on the proposal to enact a “Presidential Clemency Law,” establish a Clemency Board, and empower the President to grant pardons based on the Board’s recommendations. However, one or two parties expressed dissenting opinions on this issue.
Ali Riaz said all political parties have agreed to the recommendation of establishing a Directorate for Legal Aid Services and amending relevant laws accordingly.
However, the proposal to deny recognition to any lawyer organization affiliated with political parties in order to eliminate political influence in the selection of candidates and conduct of elections in Bar Association and Bar Council elections received mixed reactions from the parties. Some parties suggested that any decision on this matter should be made in consultation with the legal professionals.
Regarding electoral reform, he said, most parties agreed on the need to enact a comprehensive law for the functioning of the Election Commission. There was consensus among all parties on the proposal to transfer the responsibility of conducting local government elections to the Election Commission.
Most parties expressed agreement in principle with the proposal to ensure that the President is elected from among non-partisan, honest, competent, and reputable individuals, he said.
He said that there was also broad support for the formation of an independent Demarcation Authority for future boundary demarcations, though some parties expressed differing views on the structure and process.
The proposal to have a multi-party parliamentary committee, headed by the Speaker of the proposed Upper House, review the legal, financial, and administrative proposals of the Election Commission— instead of presenting them to a government ministry— also drew mixed responses from political parties, he said.
He added, most parties supported the provision that, if an Election Commissioner fails in their constitutional duties or violates their oath, the proposed parliamentary committee should investigate any resulting allegations and recommend legal action to the President.
About transparency and accountability, Ali Riaz said that a majority of political parties supported bringing registered political parties under the scope of the Right to Information Act, 2009.
He said that there were mixed reactions to the proposal to amend the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act and the Representation of the People Order (RPO) to bar individuals accused of crimes against humanity from contesting parliamentary elections. Most parties emphasized the need to carefully assess the legal aspects of such a provision.
In October 2024, the interim government established six reform commissions. These commissions submitted their reports with recommendations to the government in February 2025.
On February 12, through an official gazette notification, the Chief Adviser formed a National Consensus Commission, consisting of himself and the heads of the following six reform commissions: Constitution Reform Commission, Electoral System Reform Commission, Judiciary Reform Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission Reform Commission, Police Reform Commission and Public Administration Reform Commission.
The mandate of this National Consensus Commission was to engage in dialogue with political parties and relevant stakeholders in order to build broad consensus on key reforms and to draft a comprehensive National Charter.
Printed copies of the six commission reports were distributed to all political parties, and their feedback was formally requested. Between March 20 and May 19, a total of 45 sessions were held with 33 political parties and alliances. It was reported that some parties participated in multiple-day discussions to facilitate thorough deliberation.