Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus in a meeting at State Guest House Jamuna with the National Consensus Commission members. Photo: PID

DHAKA, May 26, 2025 (BSS) - The National Consensus Commission will begin the second round of talks with political parties on reforms in the first week of June.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus will inaugurate the talks.

This decision was taken at a meeting of the Commission held at the State Guest House Jamuna here today with Chief Adviser Prof Yunus in the chair.

At the meeting, other members of the Consensus Commission informed the Chief Adviser about the progress in the talks with political parties.

At this time, the Chief Adviser suggested increasing public awareness by involving civil society and grassroots organisations in the reform process and elections along with political parties.

He said, "People need to be made election-centric. Citizens must be made aware that no one can snatch the ballot box. We must bring discipline, and we must organise safe votes with the people".

"The Bangladesh we got after such a big mass uprising should not remain the same Bangladesh," he said.

The meeting today discussed the formation of an independent commission to investigate the role of those involved in irregularities in various elections in the past.

Commission Vice-Chairman Professor Ali Riaz said every political party has already reached consensus on this issue.

Commission member Ayub Mia called for immediate formation of the Public Administration Reform Implementation Commission.

He said the organograms prepared by the Enam Commission in 1982 for various government agencies are still there.

"Various agencies have already become unnecessary and many new agencies have been formed. If this commission is formed, these organograms can be restructured," he said.

Judicial Reform Commission head Justice Emdadul Haque called upon the Chief Adviser to ensure that the commission formed to appoint Supreme Court judges based on the consensus of political parties can work transparently.

Anti-Corruption Reform Commission chief Dr Iftekharuzzaman called for the formulation of a roadmap to implement the recommendations of the reform commissions formed on media, labour, local government, women and health issues.

Electoral System Reform Commission head Badiul Alam Majumder called for announcing the draft proposal prepared for the 2008 local government elections as an ordinance.

Police Reform Commission chief Safar Raj Hossain was also present at meeting.

The first round of discussion of the Consensus Commission with political parties ended on May 19.