Bangladesh will hold a national referendum alongside its February parliamentary election to decide whether to adopt the “July Charter,” a sweeping package of constitutional reforms drafted after last year’s deadly student-led uprising, interim leader Muhammad Yunus said Thursday.
The interim government approved the July National Charter Implementation Order 2025, clearing the way for a nationwide vote on proposals to reshape the political system, strengthen presidential powers, expand fundamental rights and limit the prime minister’s term. The charter also seeks to give constitutional recognition to the 2024 uprising that forced former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India.
“We have decided that the referendum will be organized on the same day as the upcoming national parliamentary election,” Yunus said in a televised address, adding that the joint vote would be festive and cost-efficient.
Most political parties have endorsed the charter, though the National Citizens Party and several left-leaning groups have boycotted it, citing a lack of binding legal guarantees.