Bangladesh: Consensus Commission set to submit final recommendations on July Charter

Dhaka, Oct 8 (IANS) Bangladesh's National Consensus Commission (NCC) announced on Wednesday that it will submit its final recommendations to the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government on October 10, aiming to enable political parties to sign the July National Charter 2025 by October 16, local media reported.

Vice Chair of NCC, Ali Riaz, made the remarks while presiding over the fifth meeting of the Commission with political parties on the implementation of the July Charter, on Wednesday afternoon at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.

"The Commission will hand over its final recommendations to the government by October 10. There is a target to complete the formal signing of the July National Charter by the political parties on October 15 and 16," Bangladeshi media outlet United News of Bangladesh (UNB) quoted Riaz as saying.

He noted that the issues raised as "notes of dissent" by political parties must also be considered.

"The issues that have come as 'notes of dissent' in the July National Charter need to be considered. We don't think all of them can be treated equally because those who have given such notes did so from their respective positions. We hope these reflect not only partisan interests but also broader considerations," Riaz added.

The NCC Vice Chair said the differing opinions should be clearly communicated to the public when seeking consent through a referendum.

"We have to make sure that when people give their consent, they do so knowing that some political parties have reservations on certain issues," said Riaz.

Around 30 political parties, comprising the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizen Party (NCP), participated in the discussions to finalise the implementation procedures of the July National Charter.

Earlier in July, the second phase of discussions involving 30 political parties and the NCC was launched as political uncertainty and instability gripped the country.

Several political parties, including Jamaat, NCP, and Islami Andolan, raised objections to the draft of the July National Charter.

The parties, particularly opposed to the provision to implement reform proposals within two years of forming the government after the national elections, demanded that the July Charter be incorporated into a legal framework to ensure its implementation.

The second phase of the discussions was aimed at completing the recommendations of various reform commissions set by the interim government and drafting the July Charter.

--IANS

/as