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Published : 20 Jul 2025, 11:40 PM
BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed has said there is no rule barring a party chief from becoming prime minister, and that his party believes the position should remain open to party leaders.
He argued that a party’s parliamentary committee should have the freedom to elect its chief as prime minister if it wins a majority in parliament.
To close off such an option, he said, would be undemocratic.
Salahuddin made the comments on Sunday after the fifteenth day of the second phase of political dialogue at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.
“There are some proposals coming up about the same person holding several positions including the prime minister,” he said.
“Most of them have one opinion that the role of the prime minister and the leader of the parliament are almost inextricably linked. There is no problem with the prime minister being the leader of the parliament. Almost everyone agrees on this. But there is some debate on whether the party leader can be the prime minister or not.”
He noted that the BNP had submitted its proposal on the matter to the commission earlier.
Citing the United Kingdom as an example, Salahuddin said that in many parliamentary democracies, the person who leads a political party also serves as prime minister.
“There too, the party leader and the prime minister are the same person,” he said.
“In some countries, there are exceptions. But the parliamentary committee decides who will be the prime minister — usually from the majority party or alliance.”
He added, “Now, if that person is the head of a party, he is not declared disqualified. Because it is a democratic practice. In a democracy, if someone becomes the prime minister, he is not usually required to give up the post of party chief. There may be exceptions, but this is one of his democratic rights.”
“Is he being declared eligible for the post of prime minister just because he is the party head? Such a question may arise. And it is not that the party head will always adorn the post of prime minister. The parliamentary committee will decide which MP will be the prime minister. But it is good to have the option. So that the party head has his full right — he can get the post of prime minister if he wants. That is why we said, it is good to keep it open.”
He noted that examples from other countries were cited in support of this position.
On the issue of appointing the chief advisor to the caretaker government, Salahuddin said the National Commission has prepared a draft proposal based on the views of several parties.
“The commission has set a time for tomorrow (Monday) morning to discuss whether there are any opinions on it, whether any minor amendments should be brought, and to present it after discussion in each party forum,” he said.
JAMAAT FAVOURS SEPARATE PARTY CHIEFS
Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Nayeb-e-Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami, has said political balance is disrupted when one individual holds the three key positions of prime minister, leader of the House and heads the party.
Speaking after the party’s dialogue with the Consensus Commission, Taher said, “In this, members of parliament cannot speak out, party leaders and activists are also in panic. We believe that a person can be the prime minister and the leader of the parliament. However, he cannot be the head of the party at the same time. This will restore balance in the political structure and create opportunities for leadership development.”
On the issue of the caretaker government, Taher stressed that its head should be chosen through political consensus, not by a vote.
“We are not opposing either of the two proposals made by the 5 or 7 member committee to form the head of the caretaker government,” he said.
“Our main point is one — the nomination of committee members should be unanimous, not through any kind of voting.”
As an alternative, the Jamaat leader suggested appointing the most recently retired chief justice as the head of the caretaker government if political consensus cannot be reached.
“In the case of a five-member committee, two members each from the government and opposition parties and one member from the third largest party can be included,” said the deputy chief of Jamaat.
“In the case of a seven-member committee, three members each from the government and opposition parties and one member from the third party can be included.”
