Jamaat, NCP push referendum before national polls

Staff Reporter :

Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP) have both called for holding a national referendum before the upcoming parliamentary elections to implement the July National Charter, arguing that doing so would ensure transparency and prevent partisan influence over the electoral process.

After a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Tuesday, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar said his party urged the Election Commission (EC) not to amend the Representation of the People Order (RPO) clause that requires alliance candidates to contest under their own party symbols.

“Even before the polls, the BNP is acting in ways that violate the level playing field. The RPO must not be amended again. The referendum must be held in November,” he told reporters.

The remarks came as the Advisory Council recently approved an amendment to the RPO, making it mandatory for candidates in electoral alliances to use their respective party symbols — a move opposed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The BNP has demanded that coalition members retain the option to contest under any symbol from their alliance and that the referendum and parliamentary election be held simultaneously.

Parwar said Jamaat submitted an 18-point charter of demands to the EC aimed at ensuring a free and fair 13th national parliamentary election. “We are satisfied with the Election Commission’s sincerity. But a fair election will not be possible unless our demands are implemented,” he said.

Among Jamaat’s key proposals is the call to hold a referendum on the July National Charter before the general election, preferably within November. “People must be informed about the proposed structural reforms under the National Charter before voting. If the referendum and the national election take place on the same day, it may cause technical and security complications,” Parwar said.
Meanwhile, NCP Chief Organiser (North) Sarjis Alam also supported holding the referendum ahead of the polls, saying it would allow for greater public engagement.
“When it is held separately and beforehand, people will discuss why it is happening and what it means. That will keep the process free from party influence,” he told journalists in Rajshahi after attending leadership selection activities for the NCP’s city and district convening committees.
Sarjis welcomed the recent recommendations submitted by the National Consensus Commission on implementing the July National Charter, describing the withdrawal of the “note of dissent” as a “significant step forward.”
He said the NCP would review the recommendations carefully before deciding whether to sign the Charter. “There are some linguistic ambiguities in the recommendations that need to be clarified. We expect that the implementation order for the July Charter will be issued on behalf of the head of the interim government, even though the document mentions the government in general terms,” he added.
The NCP is expected to announce its decision on signing the July National Charter on Wednesday.