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Lawmakers may gain greater freedom to vote independently in parliament under a proposed amendment to Article 70 of the Constitution, with restrictions retained on four key issues: confidence motions, money bills, constitutional amendments and matters relating to national security or wartime situations.
The proposal was discussed at the eighth meeting of the Special Committee on Constitutional Amendments of the 13th National Parliament today.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed chaired the meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
If adopted, the amendment would allow MPs to express their views and vote according to their own judgment on matters outside the four restricted categories, potentially widening their scope for independent decision-making.
The meeting was attended by constitutional experts, experienced lawyers nominated by the Supreme Court Bar Association and law professors from different universities.
A total of 44 invited experts presented their written and oral opinions on constitutional reforms.
The committee also discussed the implementation of the July National Charter, the fundamental structure of the Constitution, judicial review and judicial independence.
Other issues included balancing the powers of the president and prime minister, reforming the judicial appointment process, establishing a Supreme Court Secretariat and strengthening the independence of statutory bodies.
The possible role of an upper house in the caretaker government system and proposals to appoint opposition lawmakers as chairpersons of parliamentary standing committees under Article 76 also came up for discussion.
The proposed amendment to Article 70 remains under consideration, with no decision to adopt the change reported at the meeting.
