Islamists in Bangladesh demand referendum on national charter ahead of general election

DHAKA: Islamists in Bangladesh rallied on Tuesday to demand the interim government legalise a national charter proposed after the ouster of the previous regime, saying that there is no possibility of holding a general election without a legally binding roadmap for political reforms.

Thousands of supporters of the largest Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami and seven other political parties who gathered in the capital, Dhaka, also demanded that the next election - expected to be held in early 2026 - be held under a proportional representation system.




The key demand is for a referendum on the "July National Charter", which is named after the national uprising that began in July 2024 and led to the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following a 15-year rule that critics said had become increasingly autocratic.

But the charter is currently non-binding, and the parties say a referendum is needed to make it legally binding and a part of the constitution. Only a Parliament can bring changes to the constitution in Bangladesh, a parliamentary democracy of 170 million people.

The roadmap for political reform was proposed by the interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus who took over three days after Hasina's ouster in a mass uprising on Aug 5 last year.

Its provisions would include bringing more checks and balances to the country's political system to avoid authoritarian administrations, including by giving the presidency more authority to balance what had been a powerful prime minister position. It also proposes term limits for legislators, and measures to prevent conflicts of interest, money laundering and corruption.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, signed the charter on Oct 17 along with 24 other parties. The country has 52 registered political parties.

Other than Zia's party, Hasina's Awami League party is another major party. Its activities have been banned by the Yunus-led government and Hasina is facing trial for the deaths of hundreds of people during last year's uprising.

The Jamaat-e-Islami party, which has a dark history involving Bangladesh's independence war, has signed the charter and is forging a bigger political platform to contest in the next election in the absence of the Awami League.

At Tuesday's rally, the supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami and other allied parties said that there would be no election unless the referendum is held and the charter is made binding.

A special tribunal dealing with charges of crimes against humanity is scheduled to announce a date for verdict against Hasina on Thursday. The former prime minister, who has denounced the trial process as a "kangaroo court", has been in exile in India since her ouster. Bangladesh's politics has remained at a crossroads under Yunus.

Human rights groups have accused the Yunus-led government of violating human and political rights of the opposition, especially of Hasina's supporters.

Hasina's son told The Associated Press earlier that only an inclusive election could stabilise the country.