The National Consensus Commission on Tuesday announced that chiefs of political parties will not be allowed to serve as prime minister, a decision supported by the majority of participating parties during ongoing national charter discussions.
Commission Vice-President Prof Ali Riaz made the announcement at the Foreign Service Academy, where the 17th day of the second phase of political dialogue was held.
"A majority of parties agreed that the prime minister should not be the head of a political party. A few parties opposed the idea. As per previous practice, those wishing to file a note of dissent will be allowed to do so," he said.
The issue had been under discussion for several days. Political groups including the BNP, LDP, Labour Party, NDM, the 12-Party Alliance, Nationalist Unity Alliance, and Aam Janatar Dal supported the idea of allowing one person to simultaneously serve as party chief, prime minister, and leader of the house.
However, most parties among them Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP) opposed this, insisting that separating the party leadership from the office of prime minister would ensure better governance and accountability.
"The commission encourages those wishing to file a note of dissent to reconsider their stance, if they feel it is necessary. However, as per previous practice, the national charter will allow space for dissenting opinions. That is our decision and we are informing you accordingly," Riaz said.
Tuesday's session also covered three key agenda items: the final decision on restricting the prime minister from holding multiple roles, formulating a unified proposal on the structure of a caretaker government based on party suggestions, and setting regulatory frameworks for appointments to constitutional bodies including the Election Commission, Public Service Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General, and the Ombudsman.
At the start of the day's proceedings, commission member Badiul Alam Majumdar proposed a condolence resolution for the victims of the military training aircraft crash at Milestone School and College in Uttara. All 30 political parties present signed the resolution.
