Jamaat wants referendum before national election to legalise July Charter

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has demanded that a national referendum be held before next year's parliamentary election to give legal basis to the implementation of July Charter.

Jamaat's Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad said that all political parties, including the BNP, agree on holding a referendum to give the July Charter a legal foundation. However, Jamaat wants the referendum to be held before the national polls.

He made the statement today while speaking to journalists during a break as discussions between National Consensus Commission and political parties are underway over the method of implementing the July Charter. The meeting is being held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.

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When asked about the timing of the referendum, Hamidur said that people are not that familiar with referendums. He suggested that the referendum could be held in November or December without disrupting the national election. It could even be held before the election schedule is announced, he added.

He said that instead of putting people in a complicated or uncertain situation, the process should be kept simple.

He believes that if the legal foundation of July Charter is established through a referendum, it will gain strong legitimacy. He said that if a referendum is held, no one will be able to challenge it later and the parliament will not be able to reject it.

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Hamidur also said that there is no rift between Jamaat and BNP, adding that even if the result of the referendum goes against Jamaat, the party will accept people's decision and will not object to it.

In response to another question about the timing of the referendum, he said that there is room for discussion on whether it should be held before or after the national election. The Election Commission will organise it and the government will need to give instructions to the commission so that it can arrange the referendum, he added.