DHAKA (Reuters) -Bangladesh will hold a national referendum on implementing its 'July Charter' for state reform, drafted after last year's deadly student-led uprising, Muhammad Yunus, the head of the country's interim government, said on Thursday.
He also reiterated that parliamentary elections will be held in the first half of February and that they would be free and fair.
The interim government approved the July National Charter (Constitution Reform) Implementation Order 2025 on Thursday and it will be implemented depending on the outcome of the referendum.
"We have decided that the referendum will be held on the same day as the national parliamentary election — meaning, in the first half of February," Nobel laureate Yunus said in a televised address to the nation.
"This will not hinder the reform process. Rather, it will make the election more festive and cost-efficient," he said.
The July Charter seeks to reshape the country's politics and institutions and give constitutional recognition to the 2024 uprising that forced Sheikh Hasina, a long-time prime minister, to flee to India.
It includes increased representation of women, limiting the prime minister’s term, strengthening presidential powers, expanding fundamental rights and ensuring judicial independence.
A majority of political parties had signed the charter in October but the National Citizens Party, formed by the leaders of last year's movement and four left-leaning parties, had boycotted it.
The NCP said it stayed away due to the lack of a legal framework or binding guarantee for implementing the commitments made in the charter.
Supporters see the charter as a foundation for institutional reform. Critics say its impact could be largely symbolic without a legal framework or parliamentary consensus.
"I hope political parties will accept our decision in the greater interest of the nation," Yunus said. "The country will move toward a festive national election and step into a 'New Bangladesh'."
(Reporting by Ruma Paul and Krishna Das; Editing by YP Rajesh)
