Vice-Chair of the National Consensus Commission Ali Riaz said on Thursday that efforts will be made to reach a consensus on the presidential election process and the scope of executive powers at the very beginning of today’s discussions with political parties.
“If any issues remain unresolved today, further discussions will be held next week,” he said in his opening remarks during the second round of talks at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.
“We are short on time. Everyone must come to a consensus as soon as possible so that the July Charter can be finalised within this month. The Commission faces many limitations. Despite these, we need everyone’s cooperation to make the discussions fruitful,” Ali Riaz said.
Today’s dialogue will deal with unresolved matters from the previous day. The primary topics of the fourth day’s discussions include the term of the Prime Minister, the Constitution and the fundamental principles of the state and the delineation of electoral constituencies.
Nearly 30 political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the National Citizens’ Party (NCP), and Jamaat-e-Islami, joined today’s talks.
Representing the BNP in the dialogue is its Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed. The NCP is represented by its chief organiser for the southern region, Hasnat Abdullah, while Jamaat-e-Islami’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher is attending on behalf of his party.
