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Published : 23 Jun 2025, 01:01 AM
A total of 27 political parties have supported a proposal to limit an individual’s tenure as prime minister to a maximum of 10 years, while three parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), have opposed the idea.
After a dialogue with political parties in the second phase of reform talks on Sunday, Vice-President of the National Consensus Commission Ali Riaz said most parties had reached near consensus on limiting the prime ministerial term.
“After extensive discussions, we reached a clear position: no individual should serve as prime minister for more than 10 years,” he said. “While we are not yet at full consensus, only three parties have expressed dissent and said they would revisit the issue within their policy-making bodies.”
The parties opposed to the proposal are the BNP, the Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM), and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
Ali Riaz noted that the differences stemmed from varying interpretations of term limits, with some parties focusing on duration and others on the number of terms served.
“Most parties support the 10-year cap, but a few argue it should be discussed alongside other institutional reforms, such as the creation of the National Constitutional Council (NCC) and the structure of a proposed upper house of parliament.”
BNP senior leader Salauddin Ahmed reiterated the party’s longstanding proposal that no individual should serve more than two consecutive terms.
“There have been differing interpretations of what constitutes a term -- for example, whether short stints count and how multiple non-consecutive terms are treated,” he said.
He added that the BNP’s position was not based on a fixed number of years but on limiting repeated assumptions of power.
“I have no authority to make a final decision on behalf of the party. If the commission adopts a definitive position, I will have to take the matter back to our party forum.”
The Jamaat-e-Islami’s Nayeb-e-Ameer, Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, said the party considers a term to mean a full five-year parliamentary period.
“Ten years means two full terms. We have seen multiple prime ministers in a single term in other countries, such as the UK. Our objective is to limit power and ensure political stability.”
Tasnim Zara, senior joint secretary of the National Citizen Party (NCP), said her party supported term limits in principle.
“A broad consensus existed relating to the term of the prime minister being restricted. Some proposed a two-term limit, while others suggested a lifetime cap of 10 years in office.”
She added that the NCP remained flexible about settling on a 10-year cap in the interest of consensus.
“However, we believe that this should come along with broader reforms -- like proportional representation in a bicameral legislature and a neutral NCC -- to ensure the balance of power.”
Zara also stressed the need for impartiality in key constitutional appointments.
“Institutions like the NCC must remain free of political bias, much like the Election Commission,” she said.
The reform recommendation was presented by the National Consensus Commission during a dialogue with political parties on Sunday at the Foreign Service Academy.
The meeting, part of the Commission’s ongoing second-phase talks, lasted from 11:30am to 5:00pm.
