The National Citizen Party (NCP) has announced its plan to propose lowering the minimum age for voters to 16 years and for candidates to 23 years in the upcoming national election. The proposal will be submitted to the National Consensus Commission on Sunday, according to NCP Joint Secretary Sarwar Tushar.
Speaking at a press briefing in Dhaka on Saturday, Sarwar Tushar stated, “We will submit our recommendations regarding electoral reforms to the National Consensus Commission tomorrow. As part of this, the NCP will propose setting the minimum voting age at 16 years and the minimum age for candidates in the national election at 23 years.”
Tushar further argued that the current constitution has lost its relevance following a mass uprising and called for the drafting of a new constitution. “The existing constitution is no longer effective. We demand the formation of a new constitution to address the needs of the people,” he said.
The NCP envisions the upcoming election as a Constituent Assembly election, which, after the reformation of the constitution, would transform into a legislative assembly, according to Tushar.
The National Consensus Commission was established to address political and electoral reform issues following widespread demands for systemic change in Bangladesh. The NCP's proposal is expected to be a key point of discussion in upcoming reform dialogues.
