Consensus commission to begin talks with political parties Thursday

The National Consensus Commission headed by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus will begin dialogue with political parties on 20 March to reach consent to hold the next general election in a free, fair and credible manner.

The commission will sit across the table with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on the first day of the dialogue and it will hold talks with other political parties gradually, said a press statement of the consensus commission on Tuesday.

The commission was formed headed by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on 15 February with a mission to reach a consensus on reforms of the country’s major state organs to hold the next general election in a free and fair manner and make the country a functional one.

Meanwhile, the Constitution Reform Commission, Public Administration Reform Commission, Electoral Reform Commission, Judiciary Reform Commission and Anti-Corruption Reform Commission have submitted reports containing their recommendations.

All political parties were requested to provide specific opinions on these recommendations by 13 March.

Although the recommendations were sent to 38 political parties in spreadsheet form, the commission received feedback from only 15 political parties so far.