On 12 February Bangladesh will not only be choosing its next government after the fall of the Awami League in August 2024, says Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.
It will also be voting in a referendum that seeks sweeping reforms to ensure the country will not have another “monster” like Sheikh Hasina, he said.
Speaking exclusively to StratNews Global in Dhaka, Alam said the interim government has left no stone unturned to ensure that the upcoming general elections along with the voting on referendum, goes through smoothly.
“The July Charter will ensure there’ll be no Sheikh Hasina like dictators or autocrats. So we will see real democracy… We had a flawed democracy. (The) ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum means there will be reforms that will take place as per the July Charter. And then I think we will surely have democracy in this country.
“There will be an upper house. We never had an upper house… There will be checks and balances. It calls for an independent judiciary. It calls for a series of reforms,” Alam said, underscoring that the ‘National Charter of July 2025’ was based on the demands of the people of Bangladesh during the uprising against Hasina last year.
The charter was signed on October 17, 2025. It has laid down 84 proposals which includes constitutional reform, changes to the electoral system and public administration, an anti-corruption commission and strong judiciary.
“The July Charter contains some vital reforms like a prime minister cannot be in power for more than 10 years. Then there will be upper house. There will be checks and balances. If it gets ‘Yes’ (vote), the idea is like we don’t want to see a monster like Hasina,” he repeated.
“We don’t want to see a mass murderer, an autocratic person (ruling over Bangladesh). Because the way she grabbed power, she destroyed every institution in the government. She destroyed Parliament, she destroyed the judiciary, the police. Eventually, it (Bangladesh) became North Korea – everyone following the order of a family. If the ‘Yes’ vote wins then that means there won’t be any more Sheikh Hasina-like power grabbers.”
The referendum also proposes enhanced powers for the president. The charter, aimed at preventing the return of authoritarianism, proposes that the president make key appointments independently, without needing the advice or recommendation of the prime minister.
“If the referendum goes through then the president will get some powers, his powers will increase. Currently, in Bangladesh the president is only a lame duck and can’t do anything other than offering prayers at a graveyard. Nothing else. Also, in this referendum if there is a yes vote then the MP will be also the member of the Constituent Assembly,” Alam said.
Hasina Inciting Hatred
According to Alam, whichever government comes to power in Bangladesh, will seek to have a robust and healthy relationship with India. However, as long as India continues to give shelter to ex-PM Hasina, tensions will continue to weigh on the bilateral relationship.
“As long as she (Hasina) is there (bilateral ties cannot be smooth) … While there, she is inciting hatred. She is inciting violence. She is there. Whoever comes to power, if Hasina still remains in New Delhi things will not get solved. India is hosting Sheikh Hasina. She is a mass murderer. During her 15 years of power, people knew who she was backed by,” said Alam.
“We want a reset in our relationship, no doubt about it . We want a very good relationship, based on equity, fairness and respect. An ideal situation will be that whoever comes to power in Bangladesh should be having a fantastic relationship with India. That should have been the ideal case.”
“During Hasina’s time there were no calls for inclusive elections from our neighbours, no calls for any participatory election. Everyone knew what Hasina was doing and her backers across the globe turned a blind eye,” he said.
But whichever party forms the government – be it Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) or Jamaat-e-Islami — “a good relationship” with India will be of vital importance.
“But to get to that stage we need to build confidence. And as long as Hasina is there, tensions will always be there,” he said.
Both BNP supremo Tarique Rahman as well as Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman during their elections campaigns across Bangladesh have urged people to vote for ‘Yes’ in the referendum on 12 February.
