Bangladesh: Jamaat renews calls for referendum on July Charter before Feb elections

Dhaka, Nov 5 (IANS) As political tensions escalate in Bangladesh, radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami on Wednesday reiterated its demand for a referendum on the July National Charter, insisting that it should be held on a separate day before the February 2026 polls, local media reported.

Addressing reporters in Dhaka following a meeting with the country’s Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad made the remarks.

“The latest stand of our eight parties is that the referendum should be held any day before the election,” Bangladeshi media outlet UNB quoted Jamaat leader Azad as saying.

Earlier on Tuesday, Jamaat accused the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government of delaying the referendum on the July National Charter, calling the move "concerning for the nation."

The party also condemned the proposal to hold the referendum alongside national elections, arguing it would "seriously undermine the importance of the referendum.”

The latest development comes amid growing conflict with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) proposing to hold the referendum alongside the national elections in February 2026, while Jamaat argued it should be held before the election.

Meanwhile, the BNP also expressed serious concern over the possibility of the Yunus-led interim government employing ‘unlawful means’ to secure electoral victories in favour of the two political parties it currently depends on—Jamaat and the National Citizen Party (NCP) in next year's election.

Earlier this week, the NCP Convener Nahid Islam accused BNP and Jamaat of blocking reform measures and conspiring to delay the February 2026 elections, local media reported.

The NCP leader criticised BNP and Jamaat for engaging in a row over whether the referendum should be held before the election or on the polling day, calling the arguments ''unnecessary and unproductive''.

“The key issues and main points of debate are which reforms will be included in the charter, what proposals will be made, their legal basis, and whether Muhammad Yunus will issue the implementation order. If consensus is reached on these points, the referendum can be held on election day or even earlier,” Nahid stated.

Bangladesh continues to face growing uncertainty and political turmoil ahead of next year's election.

The parties that earlier collaborated with Yunus to overthrow the democratically-elected government of the Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, are now at loggerheads over reform proposals.

--IANS

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