‘Yes’ wins but...

The “Yes” vote in Thursday’s referendum received comparatively lower support than in the previous three plebiscites.

In the referendum on the constitutional issue of the July National Charter, 4,80,74,429 votes were cast in favour of “Yes”, while 2,25,65,627 voters chose “No”, Election Commission Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told reporters at the EC office yesterday.

The turnout rate was 60.25 percent.

Later, the EC’s public relations office released detailed figures showing that a total of 7,69,51,382 votes were cast.

According to the breakdown, the “Yes” vote secured 62.74 percent support, while the “No” vote obtained 29.32 percent. The remaining 74,02,285 ballots, or 9.61 percent, were cancelled.

EC officials said ballots are usually cancelled if a voter does not mark any option, marks all options, or places the mark incorrectly.

Contacted, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said the commission would look into the matter.

EC data show that although the referendum secured majority support nationwide, the “No” vote won in 11 constituencies -- Jhenidah-1, Khulna-1, Gopalganj-1, Gopalganj-2, Gopalganj-3, Sunamganj-2, Chattogram-12, Chattogram-13, Khagrachhari, Rangamati and Bandarban.

The three Gopalganj constituencies recorded clear defeats for the proposal.

In Gopalganj-1, “No” got 1,28,298 votes, far ahead of the 54,716 votes cast for “Yes”.

In Gopalganj-2, “No” received 1,07,290 votes, while “Yes” obtained 34,302.

In Gopalganj-3, “No” led with 93,368 votes against 33,498 for “Yes”.

The proposal was also rejected in Chattogram-12, Chattogram-13, Khagrachhari, Rangamati and Bandarban, where “No” secured more votes than “Yes”.

Meanwhile, many ordinary people in the hills remain unclear about the implications of voting “Yes” or “No” in the referendum, as well as about the proposed reforms themselves.

At the same time, a section of educated Indigenous people believe that the reform package did not clearly mention the rights of Indigenous communities in the CHT, including the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation and the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord.

In Khagrachhari, the “No” camp received 1,55,942 votes, while “Yes” secured 1,44,355 votes.

In Rangamati, the margin was significantly wider. The “No” polled 1,79,805 votes compared to 71,699 for “Yes”.

In Bandarban, “No” secured 90,156 votes against 71,417 for “Yes”, out of 3,15,422 total votes.

From this perspective, many in the hills may have voted in favour of “No” in the referendum, said Aung Chaw Mong Marma, a human rights activist and president of the Bandarban district unit of the Anti-Corruption Committee.

Each of the three earlier referendums took place during periods of political upheaval, when rulers sought legitimacy for their regimes or for a new system of governance.

The referendums of 1977 and 1985 were widely regarded as attempts to validate the military governments of Ziaur Rahman and Hussain Muhammad Ershad.

In the first referendum in 1977, the total number of voters was 3,83,63,858, with a turnout of 88.05 percent. The “Yes” vote secured 98.88 percent support, while “No” received 1.12 percent.

In the second referendum in 1985, there were 4,79,10,964 voters and the turnout was 72.44 percent. Of them, “Yes” secured 94.11 percent support, while “No” obtained 5.50 percent.

The third referendum in 1991 was a constitutional exercise that marked Bangladesh’s return to parliamentary democracy.

There were 6,22,04,118 voters, with a turnout of 35.19 percent. The “Yes” vote secured 84.38 percent support, while “No” received 15.64 percent.