The Consensus Commission, under the leadership of Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, has formally reached out to political parties, requesting their opinions on the recommendations put forward by six reform commissions established by the interim government.
Political parties have been asked to indicate their stance on each recommendation by selecting one of three options: "Agree", "Partially Agree", or "Disagree".
The letter also outlines five possible approaches for implementing reforms: through an ordinance before the elections, via a mass vote prior to elections, through mass voting during elections, by convening a constituent assembly, or by enacting constitutional amendments after the elections.
Monir Haider, special assistant to the chief adviser and coordinator of the consensus commission, stated, “The government dispatched letters to political parties on 5 March, seeking their opinions on the proposed reforms. The parties have been given five alternatives and asked to indicate their preferred method for enacting the reforms. They are expected to respond by 13 March.”
The final July Charter will be drafted based on the consensus achieved among political parties regarding the recommendations of the reform commissions.
Interim government intends to proceed with reforms in institutions that do not have constitutional constraints, such as the police, the Anti-Corruption Commission, and the public administration, provided a consensus is reached among the political parties.
Furthermore, the commission has sought the parties’ views on whether constitutional institutions, including the judiciary and the electoral system, could be reformed through a mass vote.
It has also inquired whether such a vote could be conducted simultaneously with the parliamentary elections. If consensus is achieved, the next parliament will have the mandate to implement the reforms post-election.
Political leaders have indicated that the reform commission reports contain a total of 254 recommendations.
The government has attached three specific questions to each recommendation, requesting the parties to either tick their level of agreement or provide detailed responses if they disagree.
When asked about party responses, several political leaders, including those from the BNP, suggested that they would not support any recommendations that could potentially delay or obstruct the election process.
