Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus has announced that the highly anticipated referendum and the National Parliament election will be held on the same day.
In a speech to the nation on Thursday (13 November), he stated that the voting for the National Parliament election will take place in the first half of February 2026, and on the same day, a referendum will be held on the ‘July Charter’.
The speech was broadcast live on Bangladesh Television (BTV), BTV News, and BTV World.
The Chief Adviser said that in the referendum, voters will answer a single question on four issues with a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ vote.
Earlier, the National Consensus Commission submitted two alternative recommendations to the interim government on 27 October regarding the implementation of the July National Charter. However, since the referendum did not include a ‘Note of Dissent’, several political parties including BNP and Jamaat opposed the plan.
Due to the lack of political consensus, the July Charter implementation was finalized at the Chief Adviser’s Council meeting in Tejgaon on Thursday. The meeting was chaired by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
President Md. Shahabuddin has already approved the ‘July Charter’. In his address to the nation in the afternoon, the Chief Adviser formally announced the date for the referendum and confirmed that it will be held alongside the parliamentary election.
According to the Consensus Commission’s recommendation, if the constitutional reform proposals in the referendum are passed, the next parliament will complete the constitutional amendments within 270 days. If the parliament fails to do so within the specified time, the reform proposals will automatically be incorporated into the constitution.
Given the lack of political consensus and the parties’ inability to hold discussions, the interim government has taken the final decision independently, the Chief Adviser said.
👉 In summary, both the National Parliament election in February and the July Charter referendum will be historic national events conducted on the same day.