Bangladesh Reforms: Consensus Commission resumes talks
Staff Correspondent
The 13th day of the second round of reform talks between the National Consensus Commission and political parties began on Monday, focusing on key constitutional issues.
The discussion began at 11:30am at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital with Commission’s Vice Chair Prof Ali Riaz in the chair.
Among the issues on Monday’s agenda are the introduction of an Upper House and the future of reserved seats for women in Parliament.
Representatives from around 30 political parties, including BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and the Nationalist Consensus Party (NCP), joined the dialogue to present their positions on the reform proposals.
The Commission aims to build consensus on nearly 20 critical constitutional reform proposals before the end of July.
Based on the outcomes, it plans to finalise and announce a National Charter outlining the country's reform roadmap.
The second round of talks was inaugurated on June 2 by Chief Adviser and Commission Chairman Prof Muhammad Yunus.
The National Consensus Commission was formed on February 15, 2025, under Prof Yunus’ leadership, with the mandate to build a unified national approach to essential state reforms. Its first round of discussions, launched on March 20, engaged 33 political parties and alliances and concluded on May 19.
