Shafiqur Rahman criticizes government's stance on constitution, referendum and elections

Opposition leader and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Shafiqur Rahman said that if the government does not implement the results of the referendum on the grounds that there is no provision for referendum in the constitution, then the constitutional basis for holding national elections in 2026 will also be questioned on the same grounds. He claimed that according to the previous constitutional framework, the next election schedule is related to 2029; therefore, it is not logical to bring up the provisions of the constitution only in the case of referendum.

Talking to reporters after the opposition party's walkout from the National Parliament on Monday night, he said that the direct opinion of the people should be the highest basis for running the state. According to him, the elections and referendum were held in the same political reality through which the current government was established after the student-public movement. As a result, he commented that accepting one process and denying the other is an indication of double standards.

Shafiqur Rahman further said that despite the wider public support in the referendum compared to the results of the vote that were accepted as valid in the formation of the government, there is a reluctance to implement the verdict. He also mentioned that the opposition party had accepted the election results in the interest of the country's political stability and democratic continuity. However, he demanded that the broader opinion of the people should be respected in the same way.

He alleged that the government had not fulfilled the promises made in the post-election period to implement the referendum verdict. According to him, although the members of parliament were supposed to take oath as members of the Constitution Reform Council along with the members of parliament, the members of the government party took oath only as members of parliament. He alleged that the government has failed to meet the expectations of the people through this.

The opposition leader said that they would continue their political programs both inside the parliament and on the streets to demand the implementation of the referendum results. Citing the example of the past caretaker government movement, he said that there are precedents in Bangladesh of changing political decisions under the pressure of public opinion. Therefore, he urged the current government to implement the promises made to the people without delay.

He also said that the opposition party will not remain silent if the opinions of the vast population of the country are ignored. He referred to the walkout from the parliament as part of that protest and announced to take a political stand against the decision against the public interest.

Meanwhile, Akhtar Hossain, member secretary of the National Citizens Party (NCP), also told reporters that they have been demanding the formation of a constitutional reform council based on the referendum results from the beginning. However, instead of reforming the constitution, the government has formed a new committee focused on amendments, for which the opposition alliance does not have moral support. This is why they walked out of the parliament, he said.

The incident has further clarified the political differences between the government and the opposition parties over the country's ongoing constitutional reforms, implementation of the referendum results and elections.