Constitutional reforms not possible without elected govt

The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) yesterday said the constitution cannot be amended without the mandate of an elected government.

Speaking after a dialogue with the National Consensus Commission (NCC) on state reform at the National Parliament's LD Hall, CPB General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince stressed that only an elected parliament can consider such reforms.

"Who will take responsibility for the reform proposals? The people. But we can't ask all 180 million directly. The only way is through a free and fair election," he said.

Prince criticised efforts to impose reforms without public mandate, saying, "A few people deciding overnight to create a new system is wrong."

He also warned against replacing the spirit of 1971 with a "spirit of 2024," stressing the importance of preserving the values of the 1972 Constitution. While some gaps exist, he said, "There's no need to rewrite it entirely."

The dialogue was moderated by Monir Haidar. NCC Vice-President Prof Ali Riaz said all parties share the goal of building a democratic, accountable state.