Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus announced on Thursday afternoon that the national parliamentary election and the July Charter referendum will be held on the same day.
The simultaneous elections in Bangladesh will decide both the next government and the country’s future constitutional framework. The proposed charter contains 30 major reforms, including provisions for a bicameral parliament, term limits for the prime minister, stronger judicial independence, enhanced local governance, and increased women’s representation.
Voters will be asked in the referendum whether they support implementing these 30 agreed-upon reforms. The remaining 18 proposals—where political parties have yet to reach consensus—may be presented as three separate questions.
According to recommendations from the National Consensus Commission, the government will first issue the “July National Charter Implementation Ordinance” before holding the referendum on all 48 reform proposals, the Dhaka Tribune reported. If the “Yes” vote prevails, the next parliament will act as a Constitution Reform Council tasked with completing the reforms within 270 days; if it fails, the proposed changes will automatically be incorporated into the Constitution.
As the referendum will be held alongside the election, the vote is scheduled for early February next year. Despite acceptance from the BNP and NCP, the political climate remains volatile as tensions escalate in Dhaka.
The International Crimes Tribunal is set to announce its verdict against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and two others on Monday, November 17, in a case concerning crimes against humanity. Following the announcement date, leaders of the banned Awami League called for a total lockdown in Dhaka, disrupting daily life in the capital.
Growing uncertainty around Hasina’s trial now threatens to overshadow Yunus’s reform process. Reports of crude bomb blasts and arson attacks have surfaced from several parts of Dhaka, while more than 40 Awami League and Chhatra League leaders and activists were detained across the country on Wednesday and Thursday.
Security forces — including the police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) — remain on high alert. Meanwhile, the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and allied parties have positioned themselves across the city to counter any Awami League mobilisation, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
In one incident, residents of Mirpur’s Kafrul area apprehended a Chhatra League activist allegedly throwing petrol bombs from an autorickshaw and handed him over to the police, according to Prothom Alo.
