Overview
- In a televised address, interim leader Muhammad Yunus scheduled a same-day February 2026 referendum on the July Charter alongside parliamentary elections and proposed a 100-seat upper house elected by proportional representation.
- The July Charter outlines constitutional recognition of the 2024 student-led uprising, term limits for the prime minister, protections for victims, and the creation of a bicameral legislature.
- Jamaat-e-Islami and allied Islamist parties insist on a binding mandate and a referendum before the election and have threatened direct action, including a siege of the chief advisor’s residence, if their demand is rejected.
- The BNP supports holding the referendum with the national vote, while the National Citizens Party and several left-leaning parties declined to sign the charter over the lack of a binding legal framework.
- Critics warn that without explicit enforcement mechanisms or broad parliamentary consensus the charter could remain symbolic, risking disputes over the election’s legitimacy and public order.