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The president, while chief of state,
holds a largely ceremonial post; the real power is held by the prime minister, who is head
of government. The president is elected by the legislature (Parliament) every 5 years. The
president's normally circumscribed powers are substantially expanded during the tenure of
a caretaker government. (Under the 13th Amendment, which the Parliament passed in March
1996, a caretaker government assumes power temporarily to oversee general elections after
dissolution of the Parliament.) In the caretaker government, the president has control
over the Ministry of Defense, the authority to declare a state of emergency, and the power
to dismiss the Chief Advisor and other members of the caretaker government. Once elections
have been held and a new government and Parliament are in place, the president's powers
and position revert to their largely ceremonial role. The prime minister is appointed by
the president; the prime minister must be a Member of Parliament (MP) who the president
feels commands the confidence of the majority of other MPs. The cabinet is composed of
ministers selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president. At least 90%of
the ministers must be MPs. The other 10% may be non-MP experts or "technocrats"
who are not otherwise disqualified from being elected MPs. According to the constitution,
the president can dissolve Parliament upon the written request of the prime minister.
The legislature is a unicameral, 330-seat body. About 300 of
its members are elected by universal suffrage at least every 5 years. The remaining 30
seats are reserved for women MPs, elected by the Parliament.
Bangladesh's judiciary is a civil court system based on the
British model; the highest court of appeal is the Appellate Court of the Supreme Court. At
the local government level, the country is divided into divisions, districts,
subdistricts, unions, and villages. Local officials are elected at the union level. All
larger administrative units are run by members of the civil service.
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