NCP to boycott July Charter signing

Staff Reporter :

The National Citizen Party (NCP) has announced that it will not participate in the July Charter signing ceremony scheduled for Friday, saying the process lacks a legal foundation and would therefore be “a mere formality.”

NCP convener Nahid Islam made the announcement at a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Dhaka’s Banglamotor on Thursday. “Without a legal basis and assurance of an official order, signing the July Charter will be meaningless,” he told reporters. He explained that while political parties have reached consensus on the main framework of the Charter, the absence of any binding legal mechanism undermines its credibility. “It is not enough for a few political parties to sit together, hold lengthy discussions, and reach a consensus on some issues,” Nahid said. “They must guarantee that those agreements will be implemented once in power.”

The NCP leader said the July Charter — a document intended to consolidate commitments made by political parties under the National Consensus Commission after the August mass uprising — must have legal force to ensure accountability. “The process and discussions under the National Consensus Commission that emerged after the mass uprising must have a legal basis,” he stressed.

Nahid further argued that the signing event would be “purely symbolic” unless backed by a formal government order. “What is going to happen tomorrow is the signing of the July Charter. However, unless a formal government order is issued giving it legal effect, the signing will be only a ceremonial formality,” he said.

He noted that while the July Charter had already been finalised and most parties had agreed to its main structure, several groups had recorded notes of dissent — a reflection of ongoing disagreement over its implementation mechanism.
Referring to past experiences, Nahid recalled that similar concerns had been raised during the drafting of the July Declaration earlier this year. “Before the July Declaration, there had been demands that it must have a legal foundation. That did not happen. The text of the July Declaration was altered — the final version read during the announcement was not the same as the one we were shown earlier. It became a heavily compromised document,” he said.
“We do not want to witness another event that has no real meaning,” he added. “If we sign the Charter without any legal foundation or assurance of a government order, it will be meaningless. Until we are sure of this issue, we will not participate in tomorrow’s signing ceremony.”
Differences over how to give the July National Charter legal and institutional backing have created uncertainty about whether all political parties will ultimately endorse it. Against this backdrop, the National Consensus Commission held an urgent meeting with political parties on Wednesday evening, attended by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
During the meeting, the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and NCP reiterated their firm positions on ensuring a legally binding mechanism for the Charter’s implementation — an issue that continues to divide key political stakeholders ahead of the scheduled signing ceremony.