Parliament sole authority for constitutional amendment: Salahuddin
STAFF REPORTER
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has said that the National Parliament is the only authorized forum for amending the constitution.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion in Dhaka on Thursday, he warned that any amendment through an alternative process could later be challenged in the constitutional court.
“There has not yet been a national consensus on what the amendments should be,” he said. “That is the task of the Reform Commission, the task of the Consensus Commission.”
The discussion, titled “Expectations and Challenges of a Fair Election,” was organised by Citizens’ Coalition at the CIRDAP auditorium in the capital.
Salahuddin said that, based on past experiences, holding a fair election remains a challenge. He emphasised that amendment proposals adopted by the National Consensus Commission regarding electoral laws and regulations must be implemented before the polls.
Among these, he highlighted the Representation of the People Order (RPO) as one of the most important laws. The RPO is widely known as the framework governing elections in Bangladesh.
According to Salahuddin, the Election Commission has already sent proposed amendments to the Ministry of Law for vetting. “Once placed before the cabinet and passed, the changes will be issued in the form of an ordinance,” he said.
He added that other amendments had also been prepared to update existing rules and policies in line with current needs.
Salahuddin noted that while the country had been freed from fascism, consensus had not yet been achieved on strengthening the democratic process. “There is still time,” he said. “I hope that through discussions we can reach a consensus.”
He acknowledged that more than a hundred reform proposals were under consideration and that not all political parties might agree on every issue.
“But in the interest of the country and democracy, I believe we can reach an understanding,” he said. “That is the beauty of democracy.”
