Most parties back selection committee for appointing Chief Adviser: Consensus Commission

The National Consensus Commission has said that most of the parties have agreed to form a selection committee for appointing the chief adviser of the election-time caretaker government.

The commission made the announcement today, on the 23rd day of talks with political parties, at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.

The selection committee will be headed by the Speaker and comprise the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the Deputy Speaker (from the opposition), and one representative from the third-largest party in the parliament.

Both the ruling and opposition parties will propose five names each, while the third-largest party will propose two names to the selection committee. The committee will then recommend one name for Chief Adviser to the President either through consensus or by a 4–1 majority vote.

If the committee fails to reach a decision, two judges from the Appellate Division and the High Court Division will be added to the committee. They will choose one candidate from a list of 12 using a ranked-choice voting method.

If this process also fails, the provisions of the 13th Amendment will be followed. In this case, the President will not be eligible to serve as the Chief Adviser.

However, the BNP and its allies, including Jatiyatabadi Samamana Jote, 12 Party Alliance, NDM, Labour Party, have given note of dissent to the inclusion of judges in the selection committee and the use of the ranked-choice voting method.