On August 5, 2025, just one year after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government, Muhammad Yunus indicated that elections would be held in February 2026. Now the dates have been finalized, and a major political experiment has been added: the July Charter, signed by more than 25 parties. The charter calls for major changes in the 1972 Bangladesh Constitution. If implemented, it will significantly decentralize political power in Bangladesh.
What are the proposals in the July Charter of Bangladesh?
- According to a report in the Dhaka News-Patiala, the executive government, the Election Commission and other constitutional bodies will be formed during the elections based on the model of the July Charter.
- Parliament will be bicameral, with 100 seats in the upper house. It will have final approval on any constitutional changes.
- The winning parties will have to implement the 30 consensus points of the July Charter, including increased representation for women, a deputy speaker from the opposition, term limits for the prime minister, increased presidential powers, expansion of fundamental rights and strengthening the independence of the judiciary and local governments. A new system of checks and balances will be introduced to prevent any future prime minister from becoming too powerful.
- Other promises in the Charter should also be implemented.
Controversy has been escalating since Yunus announced the referendum. The public will be asked to comment on four different reforms. It was previously assumed that there would be separate “yes” and “no” options for each of the four reforms. But now it is clear that four questions will be asked, but the options will remain the same. This means that a voter can either say yes to all reforms or reject them.
In November, journalist Amin Al Rashid called it a “flawed framework”. His question is straightforward that if someone is for two reforms and against two, how will they vote? They cannot write ‘yes’ and ‘no’ on the ballot at the same time. He also says that most people are ignorant of the July Charter, have neither read nor understood it. He said, “Would a farmer or a rickshaw puller suddenly read such a big political document? Who went and explained it?”
Biplobi Workers Party chief Saifullah Haq says that such serious constitutional questions cannot be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. It has pushed the government’s crisis on the public. Several parties had already said that the referendum should be held before the elections, but the Yunus administration is holding both at the same time. The public is completely confused, and the hype hasn’t even started yet. The referendum date is very close, but awareness of the Charter is almost zero. People are hearing its name in newspapers and on TV, but not many know what it actually says.
Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, which is currently banned, rejected the election schedule, calling it “illegal, fascist and biased”. The party says that the government deliberately wants to hold elections by excluding them. The party has demanded that all “fake cases” against Sheikh Hasina be dropped. Political prisoners should be released and a fair election should be held. Awami League’s main allegation is that the Yunus government is plotting to completely eliminate Hasina politically, so as to send a message to the world that the decision to replace her was the right one.
President Mohammad Shahabuddin, who was elected during Hasina’s tenure, has also said that the Yunus government “humiliated and sidelined” him. He will step down after the February elections. If the July Charter is passed, the presidency will become very powerful, deepening the question of who will hold real power.
December 12, 2025 5:02 PM IST
Exposing the ploy to justify conspiracy against Sheikh Hasina, why Muhammad Yunus is holding referendum along with elections
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