Referendum before national elections unreasonable: Mirza Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has termed holding a referendum before the national elections as “unnecessary, unreasonable and reckless”. He said that the interim government does not have the jurisdiction to issue an order to implement the July National Charter as per the constitution.

He made these remarks at a press conference organized at the BNP Chairperson’s political office in Gulshan in the capital on Thursday (October 30) afternoon. The press conference was organized to inform about the decision of the standing committee meeting.

Reading out a written statement at the press conference, Mirza Fakhrul said,

The order that the government has taken the initiative to issue under the name “July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order 2025” falls under the jurisdiction of the President as per Article 152 of the constitution. Therefore, the interim government does not have any constitutional power to issue such an order.

He further said, “The consensus commission’s proposals and recommendations are one-sided, which is an attempt to impose on the nation. The issue of dissent or notes of dissent of political parties has been ignored. As a result, the commission’s discussions that lasted for almost a year have become meaningless—it is a waste of time and money.”

The BNP Secretary General said that it is normal to have differences of opinion in a democratic system, but the consensus commission did not give importance to the differences of opinion of political parties. According to the commission’s proposal, along with the formation of the National Parliament, a “Constitutional Reform Council” will be formed with the same members—which is constitutionally unacceptable. Because, the jurisdiction of the Election Commission is limited only to the National Parliament and presidential elections.

He raised the question, “The issue of forming the Constitutional Reform Council was not on the agenda of the political parties’ discussions. By including this proposal, the consensus commission has exceeded its jurisdiction.”

Regarding the referendum, Mirza Fakhrul said,
“The national elections will be held in the first half of February 2026. Organizing a referendum before that is unrealistic in terms of time and cost. Due to the huge preparations for holding the elections, security management and huge expenditure, it is not possible to organize both at the same time. Therefore, the referendum can be organized on the day of the national election.”

The BNP Secretary General said that the decisions of the July National Charter that can be implemented by executive order without changing the law or rules can be made immediately by the government. And the BNP has also expressed consensus on the issues that require a referendum.

He alleged, “The dissent or note of dissent has been ignored in the formulation of the July National Charter. Again, many new proposals have been included, which were never part of the discussion. For these reasons, most of the recommendations of the Consensus Commission are unacceptable.”

Finally, Mirza Fakhrul said, "The limited issues on which consensus was reached among the parties during the long discussions of the National Consensus Commission have also been presented in a distorted manner. This charter, prepared without dissenting opinions or notes of dissent, is not a reflection of true consensus, but rather a unilateral proposal imposed on the nation."