Several political parties in Bangladesh, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Nationalist Citizen Party (NCP), have expressed support for introducing a confidence vote mechanism for the stability of the government.
The issue emerged during the second round of thematic discussions organized by the National Consensus Commission (NCC) at the Foreign Service Academy on Tuesday.
The focus of the session included constitutional Article 70, reserved seats for women in the lower house, the selection of parliamentary committee chairs, and the scope and duration of a caretaker government.
BNP Standing Committee member Salauddin Ahmed argued that the absence of a confidence vote mechanism undermines governmental stability. He said that, without it, frequent government changes would occur, which would be detrimental to governance.
BNP proposed allowing MPs to vote independently except in matters of confidence votes, budget bills, and constitutional amendments.
They also suggested adding a clause in Article 70 related to national security to prevent unchecked executive power.
Echoing BNP’s stance, NCP`s Joint Convenor and Reform Coordination Committee leader Sarwar Tushar stated that along with budget bills, a confidence vote is necessary to maintain both MPs` freedom and governmental continuity.
Ganasamhati Andolon’s coordinator Zonayed Saki cautioned that leaving the Prime Minister unchallenged due to Article 70 could harm democratic checks and balances. He emphasized the need for further discussion to build consensus.
The meeting, chaired by NCC Vice-President Professor Ali Riaz, included participation from 30 political parties and civil society representatives.
The NCC aims to prepare a consensus-based “July Charter” through these dialogues to propose comprehensive political and constitutional reforms.
