Jamaat insists July charter must guide polls

Staff Reporter :

Jamaat-e-Islami Asst. Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad yesterday said the forthcoming national election will only be free, fair, and acceptable if it is conducted on the framework of the July Charter.

Speaking at a meeting of the National Consensus Commission at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, Azad proposed two possible mechanisms for implementing the charter: through a Provisional Constitutional Order or by holding a referendum.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus attended the meeting, where much of the discussion revolved around the process of embedding the July Charter into the nation’s political and legal framework. “If political parties fail to reach an agreement, people should decide through a referendum,” Azad told the gathering.

The Jamaat leader noted that the government had already made reform its first priority, with a commitment to correcting past errors and deviations that had weakened the state system.

He outlined three central promises made by the caretaker administration: steering the country away from past failures, carrying out comprehensive national reform, and delivering the most inclusive and celebratory election in Bangladesh’s history.

Azad expressed optimism that the pledges of a level playing field, repeatedly assured by the chief adviser, would be upheld to guarantee a neutral and acceptable electoral process.

However, he voiced concern over recent irregularities in the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) and Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (Jucsu) polls, saying the controversies had sent “a negative signal” about the broader electoral environment.

“We are worried that such influence in student elections might reflect on the national election as well,” he cautioned.

Reiterating that public expectations could only be met if the national election was conducted under a fair, impartial, and credible administration, Azad urged the consensus commission to extend its work and finalise the charter process under the leadership of Vice President Ali Riaz.

The remarks come as the National Consensus Commission continues its series of dialogues aimed at defining the legal and institutional roadmap for the country’s transition, with the July Charter at the heart of the reform agenda.