Referendum on constitutional reforms will be held alongside general elections in Feb: B'desh Chief Adviser Yunus

Dhaka, Nov 13 (PTI) Bangladesh's interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Thursday announced that a referendum on constitutional reforms will be held alongside the general elections on the same day in February next year.

Yunus made the announcement in a televised address to the nation after the political parties failed to reach a consensus on the timing of the referendum despite multiple rounds of discussions.

"After considering all aspects, we have decided to hold the referendum and the national polls on the same day - the first half of February next,” he said.

Yunus said the Council of Advisers on Thursday approved the "July Charter Implementation Order, 2025".

"The (advisory council) order also pointed out that an arrangement will be made to incorporate the July Charter in the Constitution in line with the (political parties) commitment to implement it,” he said.

A National Consensus Commission headed by Yunus drafted the July Charter, incorporating over 80 reform proposals following consultations with several political parties, including former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami.

The political parties signed the document at a ceremony on October 17, but differences surfaced over its implementation process. The BNP said a referendum on it should be held on the voting day, while Jamaat wanted it ahead of the elections.

The government last week asked all political parties to reach a consensus within a week on the referendum on the July Charter, saying it would take a unilateral decision if they failed to reach an agreement.

In his address, the chief adviser said if the July Charter proposals were endorsed in the referendum, a “Constitutional Reform Council” would be formed, comprising lawmakers, and they would serve simultaneously as Parliament members.

"The Council will amend the constitution within 180 working days from the date of the commencement of its first session,” he said.

Yunus said the referendum ballot, which will be presented to voters, will cover four key reform points, including the creation of a two-chamber parliament and the restoration of the caretaker government system for conducting elections.

He added that the next parliament would have two chambers, with a 100-member Upper House constituted in proportion to the votes received by political parties in the national election. Any constitutional amendment will require a majority vote from the Upper House, he added.

The chief adviser said his government was formed with "three main responsibilities: to hold trials of the killings, make the necessary reforms for transition to an accountable and effective democratic system, and transfer the power to an elected government through fair elections." Yunus said that his government has made significant progress in the trial of the massacres committed by the then fascist government during the July Uprising.  A special tribunal will deliver its judgement on November 17 in a case against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina over alleged crimes against humanity committed during the anti-government protests last year that toppled her Awami League regime.

The BNP, which has emerged as the frontrunner in the absence of Hasina’s now disbanded Awami League, initially opposed the idea of the referendum, saying parliament was the appropriate forum for endorsing the document.

At the same time, BNP alleged that a consensus commission eventually came up with the charter, deleting the party's notes of dissent, a number of which directly contradicted Bangladesh's Constitution.

The party, however, later reluctantly agreed to the referendum but said it must be held on the day of the election. Yunus's address failed to woo either the BNP or Jamaat.

BNP said Yunus violated the July Charter, which he signed himself, as the document suggested nobody could impose anything new, like the Constitutional Reform Council or the PR system, as the party gave its dissent to such proposals during the framing of the charter.

"The chief adviser has breached the charter that he signed on October 17 at the South Plaza of the National Parliament. By his speech today, he has clearly violated that document." BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said.

He said there were “significant inconsistencies” and new proposals in the July Charter Implementation Order the advisory council issued, compared to the signed charter and “we will not accept them”.

"Many new points have been added, while several consensus-based clauses from the charter are missing...(particularly) the Constitutional Reform Council is completely a new idea,” said Ahmed, who represented BNP during consultations on the consensus commission.

“So, the very basis of the referendum has become questionable," he said.

On the other hand, Jamaat expressed regret over the denial of its demand to hold the referendum ahead of the polls.

“By announcing that the polls and referendum will be held on the same day, the government has plunged the country into further crisis," Jamaat secretary general Mia Golam Porwar said.

The National Citizen Party (NCP) said it has no objection to the timing of the referendum.

"We have no objection to the timing of the referendum, but the government must explain why the chief adviser cannot issue the order himself," NCP Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar said. PTI AR ZH ZH