Staff Reporter: The BNP has endorsed a constitutional provision limiting any individual from serving as Prime Minister for more than 10 years. The decision came during the party’s Standing Committee meeting held on Tuesday night at the BNP Chairperson’s political office in Gulshan. Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman presided over the meeting virtually from London. The party, however, rejected the proposal to establish a National Constitutional Council (NCC) for appointments to constitutional bodies, terming it “in conflict with the Constitution.” Senior BNP leaders expressed concern that such a body could undermine the existing constitutional structure.
During the meeting, BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed presented a report on recent discussions with the National Consensus Commission regarding proposed reforms.
According to sources, the term limit for the Prime Minister sparked extensive debate among political parties in a recent dialogue with the commission. While some parties favored limiting the tenure to two parliamentary terms, others supported a restriction of two terms regardless of duration. Salahuddin reportedly told the meeting that reaching consensus on that basis may prove difficult. Instead, he suggested that the focus should be on the total number of years an individual could serve as Prime Minister during their lifetime. The BNP ultimately decided to support a 10-year cap, aligning it with two full terms in office. The party believes this would ensure democratic accountability and prevent concentration of power.
In addition to the term limit, the BNP reaffirmed its support for reserving 100 parliamentary seats for women. It also agreed on the formation of a 100-member upper house in the national parliament.
On the issue of appointing the Chief Justice, the party endorsed a provision allowing selection from either of the two most senior judges of the Supreme Court. The decisions come amid ongoing political consultations on constitutional reforms led by the National Consensus Commission.
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