BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed has said that, although there is no precedent in the world for limiting a Prime Minister’s tenure, the BNP supports such a restriction to prevent the return of autocracy and fascism in Bangladesh.
There’s no example anywhere in the world where a Prime Minister’s term is fixed. Still, we have said — based on a decision by the BNP’s top committee — that no individual will stay in the Prime Minister’s office for more than 10 years,” he told a press conference at the BNP Chairperson’s office in Gulshan on Sunday.
He further stated, “For effective governance by the executive branch — including the Prime Minister and Parliament — we did not agree with any idea resembling the NCC (National Consensus Committee). That was our condition. We hope to reach a consensus. Talks are ongoing, but we don’t want prolonged discussions.”
BNP’s Nazrul Islam Khan, also a Standing Committee Member, said: “We gave our opinion on the July Charter a long time ago. If others haven’t acted on it, that’s not our responsibility. If those responsible are causing delays for any reason, BNP won’t take the blame — this isn’t our liability.”
On the topic of Proportional Representation (PR), Nazrul said, “Those advocating for PR — have you heard what kind of model they actually want? Democracy is a concept, and it’s practiced differently in each country. The way it works in the US isn’t how it works in the UK, France, India, or Sri Lanka. Bangladesh also has its own form. PR is just a concept — and it’s applied differently across nations. Those who are calling for PR haven’t explained how they plan to implement it. That leaves the idea vague. This is becoming a discussion just for the sake of discussion.”
He added, “We believe that the authority to decide the structure of the state rests with the people.”