Major political parties have failed to reach a consensus on critical constitutional issues, including the change in the state’s fundamental principles and setting term limits for the office of the prime minister.
Diverging views emerged on the tenure of the prime minister during the sixth day of the second-phase dialogue hosted by the National Consensus Commission (NCC), which has been leading the initiative for broad constitutional reforms.
“Today’s discussions focused on the basic principles of the state and the tenure of the Prime Minister,” NCC Vice-Chairman Professor Ali Riaz told reporters after the meeting.
“While some parties supported retaining the existing principles of governance, others held differing views. As a result, no consensus was reached.”
Riaz said that most parties agreed on five proposed guiding principles — equality and human dignity, social justice, democracy, religious freedom and harmony, and impartiality.
However, these differ from the Constitution’s current fundamental principles: nationalism, so-cialism, democracy, and secularism.
He added that no final decision could be reached on the prime minister’s tenure due to the lack of agreement on the process of appointing members to constitutional and statutory bodies.
The dialogue is part of a broader effort initiated by the interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus to secure political consensus on 166 proposed constitutional and institutional reforms.
During Wednesday’s session, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which has previously governed the country, proposed a model allowing individuals to serve two consecutive terms as prime minister, with some conditions.
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said that the party conditionally agreed to a lifetime limit of 10 years for any individual to hold the PM’s office.
“There was widespread support for limiting the prime minister’s tenure to 10 years in total. We agreed to this in principle,” he said.
However, he warned: “If national bodies like the proposed Constitutional Appointment Committee are given excessive authority that interferes with the executive branch, we cannot support that.”
Riaz confirmed that the NCC has revised its earlier proposals in response to feedback from political parties.
“Instead of the National Constitutional Council, a new Committee for Appointments to Constitutional and Statutory Institutions has been proposed. This body will only oversee appointments to constitutional and statutory posts. The Attorney General and chiefs of the armed forc-es will remain outside its jurisdiction,” he said.
Opening the day’s discussions, Riaz remarked, “On behalf of the Consensus Commission, we are engaging in internal dialogue. Through changes and revisions, we are optimistic about achieving a National Charter.”
The dialogue also revealed sharp divisions over proposed amendments to two of the four fun-damental principles of the 1972 Constitution. While there was general agreement on retaining nationalism and democracy, the principles of socialism and secularism sparked debate, primarily along ideological lines.
Right-leaning parties argued that as a Muslim-majority nation, the Constitution should either revise or remove the terms “socialism” and “secularism.” Conversely, left-leaning parties asserted that these principles, rooted in the spirit of the Liberation War, must be preserved.
Some party leaders also expressed frustration over the slow progress of the Commission’s work.
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said the Constitution must reflect the country’s Islamic identity. “It must include full faith in Allah and the phrase ‘Bismillahir Rahma-nir Rahim.’ We propose replacing ‘socialism’ with ‘equality and human dignity.’ Aside from the CPB and a few leftist groups, most parties support this,” he claimed.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh Secretary General Manjurul Islam Afendi echoed the proposal to replace socialism with equality and human dignity, and secularism with religious values.
Bangladesh Labour Party Chairman Mostafizur Rahman Iran was more direct: “The people have rejected the 1972 Constitution. Its grave was dug on August 5. Secularism was imposed on a Muslim society.” He also accused the NCC of disproportionately favouring leftist parties.
Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party avoided a direct stance on the Constitution’s amendment but pro-posed substituting secularism with a principle of religious neutrality.
Several other parties — including the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Islami Andolon Bangladesh — have expressed opposition to any amendments to the 1972 Constitution
Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince emphasised that the principles enshrined in the Liberation War should not be changed. “Everyone except anti-liberation forces supports these principles,” he said.
While he acknowledged that new principles could be added, he cautioned against removing existing ones and suggested putting any unresolved issues to the people.
Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh General Secretary Saiful Haque also opposed chang-es to the Constitution’s core values. “These principles are tied to our Declaration of Independence. We need deeper dialogue.”
Gonosonghoti Andolon leader Zonayed Saki and BASAD General Secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz echoed similar positions, affirming their opposition to altering the foundational framework.
Meanwhile, LDP Secretary General Shahadat Hossain Selim voiced disappointment over the lack of tangible progress. “The Commission has failed to deliver concrete outcomes. At this pace, these talks won’t conclude even by July,” he warned.