- The interim government of Bangladesh approved the National Charter in July.
- The Charter seeks to reshape politics, the constitution and institutions.
- Yunus says political parties will accept it in the interest of the nation.
Bangladesh will hold a national referendum on the implementation of its “July Charter” for state reform, drafted after last year’s deadly student-led uprising, Muhammad Yunus, head of the country’s interim government, said Thursday.
He also reiterated that the parliamentary elections will be held in the first half of February and that they will be free and fair.
The interim government approved the July 2025 National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order on Thursday, and it will be implemented depending on the result of the referendum.
“We have decided that the referendum will be held on the same day as the national parliamentary elections, that is, in the first half of February,” Nobel laureate Yunus said in a televised address to the nation.
“This will not hamper the reform process. Rather, it will make the elections more festive and profitable,” he said.
The July Charter seeks to reshape the country’s politics and institutions and grant constitutional recognition to the 2024 uprising that forced long-time prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India.
It includes greater representation of women, limiting the mandate of the prime minister, strengthening presidential powers, expanding fundamental rights and ensuring judicial independence.
Most political parties signed the letter in October, but the National Citizens Party, formed by the leaders of last year’s movement and four left-wing parties, boycotted it.
The PNC said it stood aside due to the lack of a legal framework or binding guarantee to implement the commitments made in the letter.
Supporters see the charter as a basis for institutional reform. Critics say its impact could be largely symbolic without a legal framework or parliamentary consensus.
“I hope that political parties will accept our decision in the greater interest of the nation,” Yunus said.
“The country will move towards festive national elections and enter a ‘New Bangladesh’.”
