Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, has announced a political charter referendum and national elections for February 2026. Yunus said that the council advisers on Thursday approved “July Charter Implementation Order, 2025”. The July Charter, which includes over 80 reform proposals, was drafted by a National Consensus Commission led by Yunus after consulting with several political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and Jamaat-e-Islami.
Political parties differ in implementation
The political parties in Bangladesh signed the document at a ceremony on October 17. However, the parties have differences over its implementation process. According to BNP, a referendum on it should be held on the voting day, while Jamaat wants it by November. The political parties also had multiple rounds of discussion, but were not able to reach a consensus on many reforms under the charter. Yuns, in his address, said, “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.”
What is July Charter?
The July Charter is a 26-point document created after the July 2024 revolution, detailing necessary constitutional, electoral, and political reforms. The document was signed by 30 political parties and the interim government of Bangladesh on October 17 2025.
(With PTI Inputs)
