NCP won’t sign July Charter unless 3 conditions are met: Nahid
The text of the July Charter Implementation Order and the referendum question must be finalised and made public beforehand
As the signing of the July National Charter approaches, uncertainty looms as the National Citizen Party (NCP) and several political parties have raised reservations about the process.
The NCP has declared it will not sign the charter unless three specific conditions are met, while four leftist parties and Gonoforum have announced they will boycott the signing ceremony scheduled for 17 October.
At an emergency press conference this morning (16 October), NCP Convener Nahid Islam and Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain outlined the conditions.
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The three conditions are as follows:
1. The text of the July Charter Implementation Order and the referendum question must be finalised and made public beforehand.
2. The Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus must issue the draft of the July Charter Implementation Order as an expression of the people's sovereign will.
3. If the people approve the July Charter through a referendum, the note of dissent will hold no validity. Based on the referendum's verdict, the next elected parliament, vested with constituent power, will reform the Constitution. The amended version will be called the Constitution of Bangladesh, 2026.
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Speaking at the press conference, Nahid Islam said, "If we sign the charter without a legal foundation and without guarantees regarding the order, it will be meaningless. We need assurance about the context in which the next government will act and what the text of the order will be. Until these matters are confirmed, we will not take part in the ceremony or any event related to signing the July Charter."
"The July Charter Implementation Order must be published before the signing. The order must be issued by the Chief Adviser in line with the people's sovereign intent. We must reach a consensus on the draft of this order before signing the charter. Only then will we consider endorsing it," he added.
Nahid further said, "We want to see the draft text of the order first. Since CA Yunus formed the government through the power of the July people's uprising, he will issue the order not as the President, but as the Government."
The signing of the July National Charter, scheduled for 17 October, comes after eight months of dialogue under the National Consensus Commission, which brought together major political parties to chart a framework for governance and reform in post-uprising Bangladesh.
An emergency meeting, chaired by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, was held on 14 October, where party leaders presented their final observations ahead of the signing. During the meeting, most parties reiterated their commitment to endorsing the charter, while some expressed reservations over specific provisions and its implementation process.
