Proposals to be added to constitution if parliament misses 270-day deadline

The next parliament will serve as a Constitutional Reform Council for the first nine months (270 days) alongside its regular functions, and during this period, it will incorporate into the constitution the proposals passed through the referendum.

The National Consensus Commission made this recommendation for the implementation of the July National Charter.

“However, if parliament fails to do so, the Consensus Commission has made an alternative proposal,” NCC Vice-Chairman Ali Riaz said while addressing a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Tuesday.

“According to it, the government will prepare the constitution-related proposals in the form of a draft bill and it will be placed for a referendum. If the bill is passed in the referendum, the Constitutional Reform Council will endorse the proposals while preserving their core essence,” he said.

“If the next parliament, acting as the Constitutional Reform Council, does not approve them within 270 days, the proposals will be automatically incorporated into the constitution.”

The National Consensus Commission on Tuesday submitted recommendations outlining the process for implementing the July National Charter to the interim government.

Commission members, led by Ali Riaz, handed over the recommendations to Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at the state guesthouse Jamuna. Following the handover of the recommendations, Ali Riaz addressed the press briefing.

“The Commission did not set a specific timeframe for the government to hold the referendum,” he said.

“In its recommendation, the Commission said that the referendum can be held on any day from the issuance of the ‘July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order’ until the day of the national election.”

Regarding the referendum, Ali Riaz said that it will be held as a single, package-style question, asking whether people support the Charter and the draft bill or not.