Jamaat now wants referendum any day before national election

The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has said it now wants the proposed referendum on the July Charter to be held any day before the national election, shifting from its earlier position in favour of a November deadline.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin at the Election Commission headquarters in Agargaon today (5 November), party's Assistant Secretary General AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad said, "Jamaat will formally submit a memorandum to the chief adviser tomorrow regarding the demand."

Opposing Jamaat's earlier demand for arranging the referendum by November, the BNP asked the government and the Election Commission to hold the referendum simultaneously with the national election.

Today, the Jamaat leader warned against holding a rushed referendum on the same day as the general election.

"If a parliamentary election and a referendum are held together, attention will shift to the candidates and the referendum will become secondary. We must not fall into a trap. The referendum must be held on any day before the election," he added.

When asked whether Jamaat was forming an alliance with the National Citizen Party (NCP), Azad said, "We are not forming a direct alliance with anyone."

The Jamaat leader further informed that Jamaat is in discussions with seven other parties that were part of the simultaneous movement and those who joined the mass uprising earlier this year. "We are coordinating to ensure that not all parties nominate candidates in the same constituencies, though nothing has been finalised yet."

In response to a question about how many seats the NCP had requested, Azad said, "As I've already mentioned, we haven't yet started any specific discussions regarding seat sharing.

"Whether it's with the NCP or any other party, we are currently continuing both our movement and dialogue on the fundamental issues of the election."

He also announced that Jamaat will hold a rally in the capital on 11 November.

On security and the role of the armed forces, the Jamaat leader described recent amendments to the RPO Act (Representation of the People Order, 1972) as positive and said Jamaat accepts that security forces – including those with magistracy powers – will act as a striking force in the present circumstances.

Responding to questions on law-and-order during polls, he said discussions have emphasised that any actions obstructing a fair election should be met with firm government suppression. "The way the army is positioned now as a striking force, it will be effective. They will also perform law-and-order duties during the vote," he said.

Earlier in the afternoon, a three-member Jamaat delegation led by Azad met with the CEC at the EC headquarters.