CA’s appointment: Five-member search panel proposed

The National Consensus Commission has proposed a new method for appointing chief advisers to caretaker governments and asked political parties to submit their opinions by today.

A final decision on the caretaker framework is expected Tuesday.

On the 15th day of the second phase of talks at the Foreign Service Academy yesterday, parties also failed to agree on a separate proposal to bar one individual from simultaneously holding the posts of prime minister, Leader of the House, and party chief.

Speaking after the meeting, Prof Ali Riaz, vice president of the commission, said the latest caretaker proposal outlines a detailed procedure for selecting the chief adviser.

Under the proposed plan, a five-member search committee would recommend names for the role. The committee would include the prime minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the Speaker, the deputy speaker from the opposition bench, and a representative from the third-largest party in parliament.

Most parties have agreed to various aspects of the proposal, said Riaz, but some reservations remain.

The BNP, for instance, said it would decide after internal discussions.

The Jamaat-e-Islami accepted the size of the committee but insisted that the chief adviser must be selected through consensus, not ranked-choice voting.

The National Citizen Party supported the framework but argued the chief adviser should not come from the judiciary.

According to the commission, the Speaker will supervise the search committee. Within 24 hours of its formation, the committee must invite nominations for chief adviser from registered political parties, parliamentary parties, and independent MPs. Each party or independent MP may nominate one individual.

The Parliament Secretariat will receive nominations for the next 24 hours. Within 72 hours, the committee will meet to review all proposed and eligible names, and select one individual to be appointed by the president.

If the committee fails to decide within 120 hours, the ruling alliance and the main opposition will each propose three names, and the third-largest party will submit two. All names will be made public by the Speaker.

Each major bloc will choose one nominee from the other's list, and one from the smaller parties' list. The nominee receiving the most selections will become chief adviser.

As a last resort, the committee will use a ranked-choice vote, with the president appointing the final candidate based on that result.

This is the fourth proposal from the commission on how to appoint the chief adviser, amid persistent deadlock. On July 13, it had proposed a 13-member search committee. Earlier suggestions included a seven-member panel and an 11-member parliamentary committee, and even a return to the retired chief justice model under the 13th amendment.

Speaking to reporters, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said, "A consensus has already formed that the judiciary should remain outside the caretaker system."

On the issue of holding multiple top positions, he said, "There is near unanimity that the prime minister and Leader of the House can be the same person, as their roles are closely linked. But debate continues on whether that person should also be party chief."

He added, "To illustrate, in the UK, the cradle of democracy, the party chief often becomes the prime minister…. But the opposite must also be allowed."

Salahuddin reiterated BNP's openness to dialogue and urged all parties to balance global norms with local realities.

Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher said his party could support a five- or seven-member search committee, but only if the chief adviser is chosen unanimously.

He warned that ranked-choice voting "would open the door to negative political practices" and proposed appointing the outgoing chief justice if the committee fails to reach consensus.

Taher supported allowing the same person to serve as prime minister and Leader of the House but not party chief, saying that would "ensure a better balance of power and allow the emergence of alternative leadership."

Ariful Islam Adib, senior joint convener of the National Citizen Party, echoed that concern. "One of the main reasons we fail to develop alternative leadership is that a single individual holds three critical roles," he said. "This not only blurs the line between state and party but extends party loyalty into institutions like the judiciary."

Regarding the caretaker system, he said his party earlier proposed a five-, seven-, or 11-member selection committee that would take nominations from the ruling, opposition, and third-largest parties. He also stressed that the judiciary must remain out of the selection process.

Prof Riaz said the commission has been discussing the formation of an upper house in parliament for several days. While there is no disagreement on establishing it, there are two differing views on the process of forming it. "Political parties have entrusted the commission to decide on how the upper house should be formed," he noted.

A decision regarding the matter will be finalised soon, he added.

For the upper house, some parties, including the Jamaat and NCP, want a proportional representation system, in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them.

Others, including the BNP and its allies, want the upper house seats to be distributed as per the proportion of seats in the lower house of parliament.

CPB, BASAD and other leftist parties oppose the idea of having an upper house.