Govt releases full reports of six reform commissions

The interim government has officially released the full reports of the first phase of six reform commissions formed to restructure various state institutions.

The reports were made available on the websites of the Cabinet Division and the Constitutional Reform Commission on Saturday afternoon. However, the unanimous recommendations proposed by the commissions have yet to be published online.
Legal advisor Asif Nazrul previously stated that the full reports would be released on February 8. Alongside the reports, a set of immediate, mid-term, and long-term recommendations was expected to be presented, outlining what the newly elected government could implement in the future.

According to the Chief Advisor's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, the implementation of these reforms will be guided by a "July Charter," which will be formulated through consensus among political parties and civil society. This agreement will influence the timeline for the next national election.

Following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, the interim government initiated several democratic transition measures. As part of these efforts, six reform commissions were established in October to address key state sectors: Constitutional Reform Commission, Election System Reform Commission, Police Reform Commission, Judiciary Reform Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission Reform, Public Administration Reform Commission.

The preliminary reports of the Constitutional, Election, Police, and Anti-Corruption Reform Commissions were submitted to the Chief Advisor on January 15, while the reports from the Judiciary and Public Administration Reform Commissions were handed over on February 5.

In November, the second phase of reform efforts saw the formation of five additional commissions focusing on Media, Health, Labor, Women�s Affairs, and Local Government Reform. Their reports are yet to be released.

The National Consensus Commission, which oversees all reforms, is led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus. The Vice Chairman of the commission is Ali Riaz, a professor at Illinois State University and head of the Constitutional Reform Commission.

The remaining five reform commission heads also serve as members of the National Consensus Commission: Badiul Alam Majumdar, Secretary of Citizens for Good Governance (SUJAN) � Election Reform Commission, Safar Raj Hossain, Former Home and Establishment Secretary � Police Reform Commission, Justice Shah Abu Nayeem Mominur Rahman, Former Appellate Division Judge � Judiciary Reform Commission, Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh � Anti-Corruption Reform Commission, Abdul Muid Chowdhury, Chairman of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and former advisor to the caretaker government � Public Administration Reform Commission

Legal advisor Asif Nazrul has confirmed that the six commissions will conclude their work with the publication of these reports, making way for the National Consensus Commission to begin its activities. The commission will distribute the reports and recommendations to political parties and pro-reform movements.

�The first official meeting of the National Consensus Commission is expected to take place in mid-February after discussions with political parties,� Nazrul stated.

Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam emphasized that the commission will consult political parties and civil society to determine which reforms should be implemented immediately and which should be addressed later. The outcome of these discussions will shape the July Charter, a binding agreement for state reforms.

�If consensus is reached on 2,000 out of 5,000 proposed reforms, those agreed-upon reforms will be signed by all political parties. The signed document will be the �July Charter�,� Alam explained.

The timeline for the next national election�whether it will be held in December this year or by July next year�will depend on the implementation of the July Charter, he added.