BNP Pledges 10-Year Prime Ministerial Tenure, Creation of Vice President Post in Election Manifesto

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has pledged to introduce a 10-year tenure limit for the prime minister and create the post of vice president if voted to power. The party also promised to introduce an upper house of parliament, appoint a deputy speaker from the opposition, and ensure at least 20 percent women’s representation in the upper chamber.

The commitments were announced on Friday afternoon at a programme held at a hotel in Dhaka’s Sonargaon area, where BNP unveiled its election manifesto ahead of the upcoming national parliamentary polls. Party Chairperson Tarique Rahman highlighted the key aspects of the manifesto at the event.

In the section on state system reform, the manifesto states that “absolute trust and faith in Almighty Allah” will be reinstated as a fundamental principle of state governance in the Constitution. The party also pledged to implement the July Charter, repeal what it described as undemocratic constitutional amendments, and carry out reforms based on its 31-point agenda.

Other major promises include restoring the caretaker government system, creating the post of vice president, limiting the prime minister’s tenure to 10 years, ensuring a balance of state power, guaranteeing judicial independence, introducing an upper house in parliament, appointing a deputy speaker from the opposition, reserving 20 percent of seats for women in the upper chamber, amending Article 70 of the Constitution, ensuring transparency in international treaties, forming an independent election commission, and reforming constitutional institutions.

The manifesto further states that BNP aims to implement the 31-point reform agenda and the July National Charter, establish justice and good governance based on faith in Almighty Allah, prevent the recurrence of what it termed fascism and subservience, eliminate discrimination, and ensure social justice. The party pledged to restore voting as the sole legitimate source of state power, ensure accountability at all levels of the state, and form a welfare-oriented and inclusive government by engaging all political parties that participated in the struggle to restore democracy.

BNP also promised to guarantee freedom of the media and expression and to replace politics of vengeance and retribution with a forward-looking political culture.

On national unity, the manifesto states that BNP believes nation-building is not limited to governing the state but involves transcending divisions to build a shared national identity. Based on Bangladeshi nationalism, the party pledged to end political and social divisions and emphasized that all citizens—Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, people of the hills and plains, rich and poor alike—share a single identity as Bangladeshis.

The party also pledged to form a “Truth and Healing Commission” as part of its commitment to national unity and reconciliation.