STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Without a proportionate representation (PR) system for the upper house, forming such an assembly would be ineffective, said speakers at a discussion yesterday.

They noted that while the PR system should be applied in the lower house to uphold people’s voting power, political parties have not agreed on it.

So, the system should be incorporated into the proposed upper house instead, they said.

The discussion, titled “Citizens’ Thoughts on the Seat Distribution by PR System in the Upper House of the Parliament”, was organised by the Nagorik Coalition at the International Mother Language Institute in the capital. Representatives from around 8-10 political parties and civil society members attended the event.

Badiul Alam Majumdar, a member of the National Consensus Commission, said the upper house proposal was intended to create checks and balances for the lower house and ensure a diverse parliament.

He acknowledged some limitations of PR, such as risks to government stability, the upper house becoming a “dumping ground” for unpopular politicians, and concerns over nepotism. “That’s why we’re proposing a mixed system, with PR only in the upper house,” he said.

He warned that without PR, the upper house would simply replicate the lower one, giving the ruling party more absolute power and deepening autocracy.

The Nagorik Coalition noted that a constitutional amendment would require approval from both houses, but political parties have yet to agree on the percentage threshold for the upper house. The consensus commission One

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