NCP to skip July Charter signing, calls it 'just a formality' without legal basis

The National Citizen Party (NCP) has announced that it will not participate in the July National Charter signing ceremony on Friday (17 October), terming the event "merely a formality" without any legal foundation.

"Since this signing event does not establish a legal basis, it's just a ceremony," said the party's Senior Joint Convener and Head of Political Liaison Ariful Islam Adeeb in a statement issued late on Thursday night (16 October).

"We have repeatedly called for a legal foundation from the start. Without that, this will only turn into another one-sided document like the July Declaration," he said.

Ariful, however, noted that the NCP is not walking away from the broader process, saying the party would continue engaging with the National Consensus Commission, which got its tenure extended on Thursday.

"We will participate in the Consensus Commission's next process and make our position clear. If our demands are met, the NCP will sign the charter later," he added.

The charter, which is set to be signed at a ceremony on the South Plaza of the National Parliament at 4pm Friday, outlines areas of reform on which the country's political parties are expected to reach a consensus in principle.

Drafted by the Consensus Commission, the charter is intended to serve as a framework for state reform following last year's July Uprising.

The commission hopes all political parties will sign the National July Charter 2025 at Friday's ceremony, though several, including the NCP, Gonoforum, and four leftist parties, have announced they will not join the event.

While the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami have confirmed that they will attend the ceremony, they too have issued demands and remain vague on whether they will sign the document.