ABOLITION OF NON-PARTY CARETAKER GOVERNMENT SYSTEM IN BANGLADESH: CONTROVERSY AND REALITY’ (Published)
The Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, in 1996, introduced the Non-Party Caretaker Government (NCG) system in Bangladesh, with a view to holding free and fair elections for the national Parliament. Three elections have been successfully carried out under the NCG system (1996, 2001, 2008). The unique form was brought into effect due to extreme distrust between the ruling and the opposition political parties. Bangladesh’s people were mostly satisfied with this system, as NCG performed its duties successfully. However, the NCG was abolished by the Parliament in 2011 on the basis of an adverse decision of the Supreme Court. The political Parties (ruling and main opposition) are engaged in a confrontation now over whether the elections will be held under NCG or under the current, political, Government. This paper intends to explore the reasons for and realities of the abolition of NCG. The research fully depends on secondary literature. The study reveals that NCG is still indispensable to ensure free and fair elections, considering the present political culture in Bangladesh.
Keywords: : Caretaker Government, Abolition, Constitution, Controversy, Reality