BNP to Respond After National Consensus Commission’s Decision on Bicameral Parliament

Dhaka, July 15, 2025: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will provide its official response to the proposal for a bicameral parliament once the National Consensus Commission finalizes its decision, according to Salahuddin Ahmed, a member of the BNP’s Standing Committee. Speaking after the 14th day of the second phase of discussions with the National Consensus Commission at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, Ahmed highlighted concerns about the financial feasibility and necessity of establishing a bicameral parliament.

The discussions focused on the structure and formation of a bicameral parliament, comprising an upper and lower house. While most political parties agree in principle on the concept of a bicameral system, there is significant debate regarding its formation process. Ahmed noted that the BNP has proposed a 100-seat upper house to represent distinguished individuals from various sectors, including marginalized communities, whose expertise and experience could contribute to nation-building.

“Our proposal is based on the 31-point agenda, where we suggested a bicameral parliament with an upper house of 100 seats to include people who have made significant contributions to the nation,” Ahmed said. He added that the representation in the upper house could mirror the existing system of reserved women’s seats in the constitution, allocated proportionally based on votes received by political parties. However, debates arose regarding the proportional representation (PR) system, the powers of the upper house, and the process for passing general bills and constitutional amendments. Ahmed emphasized that several parties, including the BNP, have raised questions about the necessity of a bicameral parliament given Bangladesh’s financial capacity. “If the upper house functions merely as a replica of the lower house, its necessity is questionable, as it would significantly increase costs,” he said, pointing out the potential financial burden of maintaining an additional parliamentary body.

The National Consensus Commission is expected to consider all opinions and announce its decision on the matter by next Sunday. Discussions also touched on constitutional amendments, with further deliberations planned to reach a consensus.