Political parties on Saturday underscored the need for structural reforms, institutional recovery from fragile states and judicial reforms to ensure a sustainable democratic transition.
Leaders of different political parties discussed the issues in a meeting with United Nations secretary general Ant贸nio Guterres at Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka.
Guterres also emphasised the importance of national consensus among political parties, aligning with the people鈥檚 aspirations for a required democratic transition, sources present in the meeting said.
The National Consensus Commission made a presentation on the ongoing reform activities in the meeting.
According to political leaders present at the meeting, the UN secretary general said that, in the post-mass movement period, different countries developed different aspirations and political parties had to make decisions according to the aspirations of the people of the country, and the national consensus was needed for that.
Decisions have to be taken considering the pulse of the people, the UN secretary general mentioned.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir emphasised the need to hold the national election as soon as possible and told the meeting that reform was a continuous process and the issue should not be used as a reason to delay the polls.
Sources present in the meeting said that almost all political parties discussed judicial reforms while the National Citizen Party sought UN support for deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 trial in the International Criminal Court for committing mass killings during the July-August uprising.
Following the meeting, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters that the BNP鈥檚 position remained unchanged and they discussed the need for immediate reforms.
The party believes that election-related reforms should be prioritised first, followed by holding elections without any delay, and then implementing further reforms through parliament, he said.
鈥楻eform is a continuous process and should not be a reason to delay elections,鈥� Fakhrul said.
He said that the reform commissions in the meeting basically had informed their activities to the UN secretary general.
鈥楾he UN secretary general said nothing about this as it is our internal matter,鈥� Fakhrul said.
National Citizen Party convener Nahid Islam said that the heads of the reform commissions presented summaries of their respective reform reports in the meeting and the representatives of political parties outlined their positions on the proposed reforms.
鈥極ur position on reforms, on behalf of the National Citizen Party, is that the government formed after the mass uprising has a commitment to the people, with justice and reforms being key aspects of that commitment,鈥� he said.
Nahid said that their position on constitutional reform was that it should be carried out through a constituent assembly, as constitutional reforms made through parliament would not be sustainable.
According to Nahid, the UN secretary general expressed that the political parties and the government should independently reach an agreement and come to a consensus.
The UN secretary general emphasised the importance of working together, keeping the true essence of democracy in mind, Nahid mentioned.
He said that the NCP believed that elections should be viewed as part of the reform process 鈥� a continuation of reforms.
Without reforms, elections will bring no positive results, Nahid said and added that all other political parties agreed with this view.
The timing and extent of reforms鈥攕pecifically, how much should be done before the elections and how much after the elections 鈥� are the main issues of the differences among the political parties, he said.
If the 鈥楯uly charter鈥� can be implemented, these differences can be resolved and it will pave the way for reaching a consensus, he said.
Ganosamhati Andolan chief co-ordinator Zonayed Saki called for comprehensive reforms in Bangladesh and emphasized the need for the country to move toward a new political settlement.
He said that the next election should be termed a constitutional reform assembly, through which the will of the people for systemic reform, as manifested over the years in various movements, including in the July uprising, could be realised.
Saki proposed that constitutional reforms should be achieved through national consensus, with all parties agreeing on the process and outcomes.
This consensus would be reflected in a national charter, he said and emphasised the need for collective agreement on its implementation.
Amar Bangladesh Party general secretary Asaduzzaman Fuad said that they expressed gratitude to the UN and its Human Rights Office for supporting the people of Bangladesh and democracy over the past 16 years of fascism.
He particularly thanked the UN and its Human Rights Office for their July-August report.
He also raised his concern about the involvement of three relatives of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, including her daughter, employed in UN institutions, and demanded that these appointments should be reconsidered.
Fuad called for the opening of a temporary Human Rights Commission office in Bangladesh for two or three years to oversee the trial of mass killings and crimes against humanity to ensure international standards in the trial process so that no question could be raised about the process.
He also urged the UN to accelerate its efforts for the safe return of the Rohingyas in cooperation with the interim government.
After the meeting, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami nayeb-e-ameer Syeed Abdullah Muhammad Taher said that they discussed reforms, fair elections, sustainable democracy and national unity in the meeting.
He said that the UN secretary general expressed support for most of their points and assured them of cooperation in Bangladesh鈥檚 decision-making process and expressed optimism about the prospects for fair elections.
