Article 70 of the Constitution of Bangladesh

Bangladesh's parliament is described as a rubber stamp body because of Article 70, as MPs cannot cross the floor or have conscience votes.
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Article 70 of the Constitution of Bangladesh is a controversial clause restricting voting freedom in the Parliament of Bangladesh, written in the country's constitution.

History[edit]

Article 70 was written as a result of the Bangladesh Constituent Assembly (Cessation of Membership) Order 1972,[1] promulgated by President Justice Abu Sayeed Chowdhury. The president acted on the advice of Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The prime minister was upset when a lawmaker from his own party, K. M. Obaidur Rahman, raised a question in the Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh, as to why the assembly had no law making powers. Under the interim constitution in 1972, law making powers resided with the executive branch.[2]

Text[edit]

The text of the article is given in the following:[3]-

A person elected as a member of Parliament at an election at which he was nominated as a candidate by a political party shall vacate his seat if he –

(a) resigns from that party ; or

(b) votes in Parliament against that party ;

but shall not thereby be disqualified for subsequent election as a member of Parliament.

Implications[edit]

The article has the effect of preventing free votes and crossing the floor by Members of Parliament. If MPs vote against their party, they automatically lose their seats. As a result of Article 70, Bangladesh's parliament has largely served as a rubber stamp for actions taken by the ruling party or coalition. The parliament has also not been able to hold a no confidence vote to remove a prime minister.

The provision is contrary to the norms of Westminster systems, as in the parliaments of the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan and Australia; as well as other democratic systems, such as in the U.S. Congress and Japanese Diet.

Critics argue Article 70 contradicts fundamental rights in the constitution, including freedom of speech and freedom of conscience.[4] The lack of accountability in parliament gives unchecked powers to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, who is often accused of dictatorship.[5][6] Without the option of a no-confidence motion, the institutional checks and balances on a prime minister's power are significantly limited, as there are few remedies by which a prime minister can be legally dismissed.

Reform[edit]

Political scientists, public intellectuals, journalists, civil rights activists and members of parliament have demanded that Article 70 be reformed.[7][4][8][9][10]

While delivering judgements, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh has opined that Article 70 is undemocratic.[7]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Bangladesh Constituent Assembly Members (Cessation of Membership) Order, 1972". Laws of Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 2015-11-19.
  2. ^ Hasanuzzaman (22 April 2011). "To amend Article 70 or not" (PDF). New Age (Op-ed) – via Centre for Policy Dialogue.
  3. ^ "70. Vacation of seat on resignation or voting against political party". Bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  4. ^ a b "Article 70: Contradiction with the spirit of the constitution". Dhaka Tribune. 2014-02-20. Archived from the original on 2017-06-26. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  5. ^ "Monolithic power makes PM Sheikh Hasina a 'dictator', says BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia". The Daily Star. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  6. ^ Simon Tisdall and Anna Ridout in Dhaka (21 September 2015). "Bangladesh's PM rejects claims of repression: 'I do politics for the people' | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  7. ^ a b "16th Amendment scrapped". The Daily Star (Editorial). 2017-07-04. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  8. ^ Sabbir Ahmed (January 2010). "Article 70 of the Constitution of Bangladesh: Implications for the Process of Democratisation" (PDF). BLISS Journal. 31 (1): 1–13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-03.
  9. ^ "Calls for review of Constitution, Article 70". bdnews24.com. 2009-01-11. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  10. ^ "Awami League MP wants to allow vote against National budget". The Daily Star. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
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