Muktadesh Desk: The political deadlock over the implementation of the July National Charter proposed as an outline for state reform is not breaking. Although there is a principled consensus between the parties on constitutional reform, BNP and Jamaat are unable to agree on the timetable and implementation process for the referendum. Although the one-week ultimatum given by the interim government in this regard has ended, there has been no formal agreement between the parties.
Environmental Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan said that there is no possibility of sitting with the political parties on the July Charter and the referendum, and the government will make a decision soon.
As a result, the question now arises, which way will this initiative to implement the July Charter move forward?
Sources said that an advisor has informally contacted BNP and Jamaat on behalf of the interim government. In addition, plans are being made to implement the government order.
In this regard, political analyst and Dhaka University professor Mohammad Mujibur Rahman told the media – the chief advisor told the nation that whatever the parties agree to, it will be implemented. And he will inform the nation about the rest on the website. Now, the government is responsible for implementing the issues that the parties have agreed on. This crisis has arisen because those who gave notes of dissent are not included in the recommendations. That is why it is the responsibility of the commission and the government to solve it. He also said that whether it is public or private, the government will have to finalize the decision by bringing the parties into confidence.
Meanwhile, the like-minded parties of BNP and Jamaat have also joined the position of the BNP and Jamaat on the implementation process of the July Charter. BNP clearly stated their position at a rally on November 7.
On the same night, a meeting of the party’s national standing committee was held at the political office of the BNP Chairperson in Gulshan in the capital. The next day, Friday, at a program, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that if there is a referendum, it must be held on the day of the election. The election (announced by the government) must be held in February 2026.
On the other hand, eight parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, have called a rally in Dhaka on November 11. They have also said that if their demands are not met, they will announce a strict program from there.
Meanwhile, after the government told the political parties to make a decision, Jamaat contacted BNP for talks, but BNP did not agree.
BNP National Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said in this regard – if the government wants to talk, we will sit down. Why should we discuss this with other parties.
In addition, the Democracy Forum took the initiative to negotiate. In this regard, Democracy Forum coordinator Hasnat Qayyum said, we have not received any positive response yet, but we are optimistic. Our efforts are also continuing. Let’s see what happens.
Meanwhile, political sources said that the government is trying to reach a place behind the scenes through talks with the two main political parties. If both parties agree in those talks, the referendum will be held on the day of the parliamentary elections as per BNP’s demand and PR or proportional voting on the upper house of parliament as per Jamaat’s proposal. However, no one has officially commented on this matter.
Meanwhile, BNP and Jamaat are blaming the government and the commission for such a situation.
Salahuddin Ahmed said, the commission’s report is one-sided, which does not match the July Charter that was signed. Then why was there a need to work hard for 8-9 months. What the government has done is a betrayal of the parties. Discussions took place for a year. People have heard the statement of the chief advisor. But it does not match the work. He also said, how can the government now say that the parties have to agree within seven days? It will forcefully impose a decision, and we have to accept it – that is not the case. It is clear from the government’s actions and behavior that they are biased. We hope that the government will behave impartially and adopt the nature of a caretaker government.
On the other hand, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad told the media that the government and the National Consensus Commission themselves have created the path to the crisis. If the parties can resolve these issues, then why was the commission formed, why did they make recommendations? The government is responsible for implementing the commission’s decision. I hope that it will not push the parties towards it now.
After nine months of discussions, on October 17, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and leaders of 25 political parties, including BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and NCP, signed the July National Charter containing 84 reform proposals. But later, when the National Consensus Commission handed over its recommendations to the government, the parties complained that the way the charter was signed and the parties’ statements in various recommendations that were supposed to be in the form of notes of dissent were not included.
BNP said that the recommendations included some issues that were not discussed in the commission meeting.
The biggest controversy arose over when the referendum would be held to implement the constitutional reforms contained in the July Charter. The commission’s recommendation said that a special order would be issued to implement the constitutional reform proposals in the July Charter and a referendum would be held on that basis. If the proposals are passed in the referendum, the next parliament, as the Constitutional Reform Council, would amend the constitution within 270 days. And if the council fails to do so within this period, the proposals would automatically be added to the constitution. BNP criticized this recommendation.
However, the consensus commission has left it to the government to decide when the referendum will be held. That is, the government will decide whether the referendum will be held on the same day as the national elections or before the elections. There is a direct contradiction in this.
