Zakir Hossain in Dhaka
In a landmark move to reshape the country’s parliamentary structure, the National Consensus Commission has proposed the formation of an elected upper house in Bangladesh’s legislature. The proposal recommends a 76-member upper chamber, with all seats to be filled through direct public elections.
The initiative was unveiled on Monday (July 14) during the 13th session of the Commission’s second round of national dialogues, attended by senior leaders from multiple political parties and alliances.
Under the proposal, each of Bangladesh’s 64 administrative districts and 12 city corporations would serve as single-member constituencies, allowing voters to directly elect one representative from each, bringing the total seat count to 76. The Commission further recommended that elections for both the existing lower house (National Parliament) and the proposed upper house be held simultaneously, a move aimed at streamlining the electoral process and enhancing democratic participation.
The proposal aligns with earlier suggestions made by a separate Constitutional Reform Commission, which had called for the introduction of a bicameral legislature. In its report, the Reform Commission recommended that the upper chamber be called the “Senate” and play a crucial role in strengthening legislative scrutiny and executive oversight.
“The Constitutional Reform Commission recommends that Bangladesh adopt a bicameral legislature comprising a lower house (National Parliament) and an upper house (Senate). The upper house would play an important role in legislative scrutiny and establish critical oversight over the executive branch,” the earlier report stated. The new proposal signals a significant shift in Bangladesh’s political architecture, aiming to establish stronger checks and balances in governance, and to expand representative democracy across the nation.