Most major political parties have agreed in principle to adopt a bicameral system of parliament, which would divide the legislature into two separate assemblies that must agree on new laws.
The parties in consensus on this issue include the BNP, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, Nationalist Democratic Movement, Bangladesh Jashod, Bangladesh Muslim League, Pragatisheel Green Party, and Khelafat Majlish.
However, others, such as the Nagorik Oikyo, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Gono Forum, and Socialist Party of Bangladesh, remain sceptical.
Whether or not a bicameral system should be adopted became a hot topic since the Constitution Reform Commission (CRC) recommended the measure in a report submitted on 15 January.
If it comes to fruition, it would mark a fundamental change to the nation's political system, which has been defined by a unicameral system of legislature since independence.
What would a bicameral parliament mean in Bangladesh?
Bicameral means two chambers or rooms. In the case of a legislature, it means a parliament that has two separate houses, the legislative assembly or the lower house, and the legislative council, the upper house.
Per the Commission's proposal, the bicameral legislature in Bangladesh would consist of the National Assembly, effectively the lower house, and the Senate.
Additionally, the Constitution Reform Commission (CRC) proposed a parliament with 500 seats.
The National Assembly will comprise 400 seats, of which 300 members shall be elected directly from single territorial constituencies. The other 100, reserved for women, shall be elected directly from 100 designated constituencies from all the districts of the country.
According to the CRC recommendation, the Senate will comprise 105 members, of which 100 will be elected under the Proportional Representation (PR) system ( in proportion to the total number of votes cast in the National Assembly elections). The other five will be candidates nominated by the president who are not members of the legislature or a political party.
Under a proportional representation (PR) system, the distribution of seats closely corresponds with the number of votes cast for each party in the national election. If a party gets 40% of the total votes, a perfectly proportional system would allow it to gain 40% of the seats.
To be eligible for representation in the Upper House based on the PR system, a political party must secure at least 1% of the votes cast in National Assembly elections.
Political parties may nominate a maximum of 100 candidates for the election to the Upper House based on the PR system.
The rationale for a bicameral parliament
In a bicameral parliament, each bill must be reviewed and approved by both the upper and lower houses before it becomes law.
The main rationale for this set-up is to reduce the risk of power being concentrated among a select group or being misused, providing safeguards in case the upper or lower house attempts to push through extreme or unpopular measures without broader public support.
The Constitution Reform Commission (CRC) emphasised the principles that revolve around establishing an institutional balance of powers in parliamentary practices while making its recommendations.
In the context of a culture of power and the centralisation of that power in the hands of a select few since independence, the CRC proposed the bicameral system.
History and development
The bicameral system began in medieval Europe, where different social classes – including nobles, clergy, and commoners – were represented separately to advise the king.
In 14th-century England, there emerged a bicameral parliament - the House of Lords for the elite and the House of Commons for the general public.
Later, this two-chamber model was exported to the British colonies.
After independence in 1776, most US states set up bicameral legislatures.
Prominent examples of bicameral parliaments
Around 80 countries worldwide have a bicameral legislature.
Prominent examples are the US, UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, the Czech Republic, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Canada, and India.
Bicameralism versus unicameralism
The system that Bangladeshis are familiar with, unicameralism, has prevailed since independence.
Worldwide, about 41% of governments are bicameral and about 59% are unicameral. The latter became more popular during the 20th century, and some countries, including Greece, New Zealand, and Peru, even made the switch from a bicameral system.
Before finally abolishing the country's upper house in 1975, Greece had a bicameral parliament for two periods. First, between 1844 and 1862, under the Constitution of 1844, and then between 1927 and 1935, under the Constitution of 1927.
Whereas the Senate made many positive contributions during those periods, the widespread feeling in Greece was that the Chamber of Deputies, the lower chamber, had become a conservative institution whose presence was a "luxury" for modern democracies.
On July 24, 1974, the military dictatorship that had ruled Greece for seven years collapsed. On December 8, a referendum was conducted to decide the form of government. This resulted in Greece adopting a unicameral system of government.
A similar incident occurred in New Zealand, where the Legislative Council, the upper house, was established in 1853.
However, since 1857, the country's government began to appoint upper house members, creating a culture of 'stacking' - filling it with their own supporters.
As a result, new governments were sometimes constrained by a council that had been appointed by the previous regime.
In the 1940s, the National Party argued for the abolition of the council, alleging stacking by the Labour government. Finally, when the National Party came into power in 1949, it stacked the council with a 'suicide squad', who abolished the council in 1951.
Another country that has seen both sides of the coin is Peru. During its 223 years of independence, Peru has operated for 185 years with a bicameral parliament, with multiple interruptions.
The country's legislature has been transformed into a unicameral congress in 1823, 1867 and lastly in 1992. However, in March 2024, a constitutional reform and return to bicameralism were approved.
Should there be an upper house in Bangladesh?
The Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh, formed on April 10, 1972, introduced a 34‑member drafting committee under Dr Kamal Hossain.
After general debates and 74 meetings, the draft constitution was tabled in October, amended 84 times based on the reviews of the then constituent assembly members, and adopted on November 4, 1972. It came into effect on December 16, 1972, according to Abul Fazl Huq's 1973 article "Constitution-Making in Bangladesh".
In the constituent assembly debates, some members, including Hafez Habibur Rahman, raised the idea of an upper house.
However, Bangladesh has remained unicameral since its founding, considering the size of the country and the system of administration preferred by political parties and people at the time.
Therefore, the idea of bicameralism is not entirely new in Bangladesh. However, whether the country will opt for a bicameral system of parliament will be decided only when the political parties are in agreement.
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