All parties agree on caretaker restoration

All political parties that took part in the dialogue with the National Consensus Commission (NCC) shared a similar opinion on the restoration of the caretaker government system, said NCC Vice Chairman Prof Ali Riaz on Wednesday.

They all agreed on the restoration of the caretaker system, he said, adding that "there is a specific consensus on this issue."

The formation and structure of the caretaker government and its jurisdiction were also discussed. The political parties have come much closer on these issues, he said while briefing journalists at the end of the 8th day of the second phase of talks at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.

The tenure of the caretaker government and appointment of the chief adviser, among others, were also discussed at the meeting.

Wednesday's discussion was fruitful and close to reaching a consensus, which is a significant development, Prof Riaz said. "We are hopeful of signing the July charter by this month."

Apart from the caretaker government, the delimitation of constituencies was discussed, he said.

There was a consensus on taking immediate and long-term measures on the delimitation of constituencies, he also said.

As an immediate measure, a specialised committee for the 13th general election should be formed with the assistance of the Election Commission. If it has already been formed, necessary changes have to be made. Besides, the parliamentary constituencies should be determined in consultation with that committee, the NCC vice-chairman explained.

Regarding the long-term measures, Prof Riaz said after every census or not more than 10 years, a provision for the formation of a specialised committee as determined by the law should be added to the constitution to determine the boundaries of the parliamentary constituencies.

Talking to reporters after Prof Riaz, senior BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed said all parties had agreed on the restoration of the caretaker system.

The BNP is cordially helping with the reform move of the interim government, including on the issues of curtailing the president's power and appointment of the chief justice, he said.

He expressed dismay over the rumour that the BNP is not helping with the reform process and a consensus could not be made due to the party's disagreement on reform issues.

"This is not true. Regarding most cases and the basic reform proposals, the BNP is playing a proactive role and agreed on most of those," he said.

"There is a popular perception that the BNP is going to power in the next election. That is why the BNP is helping with the consensus process so that a balanced government is established and there is no scope for fascism to return," he added.

Representatives of 30 political parties, including BNP, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP), participated in Wednesday's discussion.

The parties are scheduled to hold another discussion with the NCC today (Thursday).

nsrafsanju@gmail.com