Expedite Reforms to Hold Elections in December

Chief Adviser and Chairman of the National Consensus Commission, Professor Muhammad Yunus, has called for expediting the ongoing reform process to pave the way for holding the national elections by December this year.

He made the call during a meeting with two key members of the Consensus Commission at the State Guest House Jamuna on Saturday afternoon. National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman Professor Ali Riaz and member Dr. Badiul Alam Majumder briefed the Commission chief on the progress of their initiatives during the meeting. Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser (Consensus Building) Monir Haider was also present.

Professors Riaz and Majumder reported that separate dialogues are ongoing with various political parties concerning the recommendations from the interim government’s reform commissions. So far, they have concluded discussions with eight political parties, with a meeting scheduled with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Thursday.

They also informed Prof. Yunus that several programmes have been launched to gather public opinion on the proposed reforms and to raise public awareness regarding the importance of these changes.

Emphasising the urgency of the matter, Prof. Yunus urged the Commission to intensify its engagement with political stakeholders and accelerate the overall reform agenda to ensure the timely conduct of the national elections in December.

"The dialogue with political parties must be deepened, and the momentum of the reform initiatives should be maintained to meet our national goal," he stressed during the meeting.