Commission to Determine Structure of Proposed Upper House Amid Party Disagreements
Bangladesh’s National Consensus Commission is set to decide how a proposed upper house of parliament will be formed, following a lack of consensus among political parties despite broad support for a two-chamber system.
On Tuesday, the commission’s vice-chair, **Ali Riaz**, announced that a final decision will be made public on **Sunday**, after key political groups submitted differing suggestions on the makeup of the upper chamber.
Following a full day of discussions at the Foreign Service Academy, Riaz stated:
“There is clear progress on introducing a bicameral parliamentary model and the necessary constitutional changes. However, divisions remain over how the second chamber should be structured, so the commission must now take a position.”
While most major parties agree with the idea of a bicameral system in theory, they remain split on its implementation.
“Some advocate basing it on the percentage of total votes received, while others prefer alignment with the distribution of seats in the lower house,” Riaz explained.
Representatives from the **BNP** and **Jamaat-e-Islami** took part in the consultations and clarified their respective proposals. BNP’s **Salahuddin Ahmed** suggested the upper house be formed based on the number of seats held in the lower chamber, whereas Jamaat’s **Abdullah Mohammad Taher** pushed for a model based on national vote share.
Riaz acknowledged the competing approaches and said the commission will continue informal talks with all parties and deliberate internally before finalizing the structure of the new chamber.
He added that constitutional reform remains a central topic, especially if the bicameral proposal does not move forward. Any changes to the constitution would still require a **two-thirds majority** in the existing legislature.
In reference to core constitutional sections—including the **preamble**, **Articles 8, 48, 56, 142**, and the **caretaker government clauses** (Articles 58A–58C)—Riaz noted that any revisions to these would necessitate a **public referendum**.
He also mentioned that there is widespread agreement among political groups to **restore the caretaker government system**, and that the commission is working toward resolving the method for selecting its head.
Riaz concluded by highlighting the importance of formally recognizing women’s political roles in the constitution, especially given their active leadership during last year’s mass protests.
