Constitutional Reform Committee: BNP focusing on its polls promises

The special parliamentary committee on constitutional reform will prioritise implementing the BNP’s agenda in line with its election manifesto alongside the July charter, ruling party members of the committee have said.

Key BNP proposals include restoring “Absolute trust and faith in Almighty Allah” as a fundamental state principle, excluding the judiciary and the president from the caretaker government system, and limiting an individual’s tenure as prime minister to 10 years.

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The BNP also favours allowing the prime minister to simultaneously serve as the party chief and introducing the post of vice-president.

Committee members Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni and Zainul Abdin confirmed the party’s position on the matter to The Daily Star, saying that constitutional matters included in the manifesto would be considered alongside the charter.

Committee Chair and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed reiterated that the BNP would fully implement the charter exactly as it was signed.

“Under our election manifesto, we have several proposals that require constitutional amendments, and we will include them too since we secured the people’s mandate on those issues,” he said during a media briefing after the committee’s meeting yesterday.

The BNP manifesto says the July National Charter, signed on October 17, 2025, will be implemented with the highest priority.

It also promises to restore “Absolute trust and faith in Almighty Allah” to the constitution.

Former attorney general Mahmudul Islam writes in his book “Constitutional Law of Bangladesh” that in 1977, then president Ziaur Rahman issued a proclamation order adding the expression “Bismillah-Ar-Rahman-Ar-Rahim” before the preamble of the constitution.

“Under our election manifesto, we have several proposals that require constitutional amendments, and we will include them too since we secured the people’s mandate on those issues.”

Salahuddin Ahmed, committee chair and home minister

The words “nationalism, socialism, democracy and secularism” were replaced with “Absolute trust and faith in the Almighty Allah, nationalism, democracy and socialism meaning economic and social justice”, Mahmudul wrote.

The change was incorporated into the constitution through the fifth amendment in 1979.

The 15th amendment, passed during the Awami League regime in 2011, removed “Absolute trust and faith in Almighty Allah” and restored that part of the constitution to the original 1972 wording.

Salahuddin pointed out that the principle of faith in the Almighty was also enshrined in article 8 as a fundamental principle and said even the opposition agreed on the matter.

PLEDGES AND NOTES OF DISSENT

In line with the July charter and its manifesto, the BNP pledged an “election-time, neutral caretaker government” to ensure free and fair national polls and give the system a permanent constitutional and institutional form.

While the caretaker framework is to be settled through discussions based on the July charter, BNP is opposed to involving the judiciary and the president in the system.

The July charter sets out a series of steps for appointing the head of the caretaker government. The process begins with the formation of a five-member panel comprising the prime minister, opposition leader, speaker, deputy speaker from the opposition and a representative of the second-largest opposition party. The panel will select a caretaker chief from a list of nominees submitted by political parties and independents.

If the panel fails to reach a decision, the charter provides for a second step. At one stage, it proposes bringing in an Appellate Division judge and a High Court judge, turning the panel into a seven-member body to vote on a shortlist.

Several parties, including the BNP, objected to this provision.

The BNP also pledged that a person could serve as prime minister for a maximum of 10 years, whether consecutive or non-consecutive.

The July charter, however, says the prime minister cannot simultaneously serve as the party chief, a provision opposed by BNP and its allies.

The party further pledged to ensure a balance of power between the president and prime minister and to strengthen judicial independence.

It proposed introducing a 100-member upper chamber of parliament, with seats distributed in proportion to the number of seats parties secure in the lower house.

Most other parties, however, agreed that the upper chamber should be constituted in proportion to the percentage of votes secured by parties in the national election.

BNP also promised to amend article 70 to allow MPs to vote against their party line except in cases involving no-confidence motions, money bills, constitutional amendments and national security, including wartime situations.

The July charter does not list constitutional amendments or national security as exceptions.

The BNP pledged to enact necessary laws for the formation of the Public Service Commission and Anti-Corruption Commission and for appointments to the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. It also proposed transforming the Public Service Commission into a stronger institution for recruitment in education, health and other sectors.

The governor of Bangladesh Bank and the chairperson and members of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission would be appointed by the government in accordance with law.

A majority of parties in the July charter agreed that the president should appoint the chiefs of the National Human Rights Commission, Information Commission, Bangladesh Press Council, Law Commission and Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission, as well as the governor of Bangladesh Bank.

The BNP pledged that the president would appoint the chief justice from among the two most senior judges of the Appellate Division, in accordance with the constitutional provision.

A majority of the parties in the July charter, however, agreed that the president should appoint the senior-most Appellate Division judge as chief justice.

The BNP also proposed appointing an Ombudsman. The “Tax Ombudsman”, introduced during a previous BNP tenure, was widely considered effective. The July charter proposes that a search committee headed by the speaker recommend names to the president for appointment as the Ombudsman.

BNP’S OTHER PLEDGES

BNP’s manifesto promises that one of the deputy speakers in each chamber of parliament would be nominated from the opposition.

It also pledged that opposition MPs would chair the Public Accounts Committee, Privileges Committee, Estimates Committee and Committee on Public Undertakings of the National Parliament. Chairpersons of other standing committees would also be appointed from the opposition in proportion to the number of seats they hold in parliament.

The BNP pledged that the Supreme Court would have a permanent seat in the capital, while the chief justice could establish permanent benches in each division. It also proposed further strengthening the Supreme Judicial Council and expanding its jurisdiction.

Necessary constitutional amendments would be made to place control over the service terms and conditions of subordinate court judges entirely with the Supreme Court.

A permanent prosecution/attorney service would gradually be established at the district level through law.

On the president’s power of pardon, the BNP proposed adding a constitutional provision stating that the president may grant pardon, reprieve and respite for any sentence and remit, suspend or reduce any sentence, but must exercise that power in accordance with standards, principles and procedures prescribed by law.

Local government elections would be held under the direct supervision of the Election Commission, with necessary laws enacted for the purpose.

Appropriate laws would govern the financial management of local government institutions to ensure their effective autonomy, while the relationship between local government bodies and government officers and employees working with them would also be determined by law.

The BNP proposed forming a police commission to ensure professionalism and accountability and make police services more people-friendly. The relevant ordinance would be reviewed, reformed and enacted as appropriate law.

It also proposed reviewing in parliament the formation of an independent criminal investigation service.

Existing laws would be properly applied in investigating and prosecuting corruption in the private sector. Subject to parliamentary approval, Bangladesh would join the Open Government Partnership.

Although income tax returns are private documents, BNP proposed allowing the Anti-Corruption Commission or another authorised body to summon them through the court.

The party also pledged to form an independent inquiry commission to identify officials involved in state terror and repression during the July uprising, and to punish officials found responsible for vote rigging and corruption.

It further promised legal and constitutional protection for those who participated in the historic July student-mass uprising of 2024.