Last update on: Thu Aug 7, 2025 03:37 AM
The work of Prof Muhammad Yunus shows that he won’t do anything in the future that would make the election questionable.
Most political parties have welcomed Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus announcing national election in February next year.
However, the parties, except the BNP, expressed reservations about the July Declaration, which was unveiled on Tuesday.
They said the declaration was “incomplete” and demanded a complete July Declaration and July Charter, and the promised reforms before the polls.
Jamaat-e-Islami said they had expected that the chief adviser would hold talks with political parties regarding the announcement of the election timeline.
“The nation has been stunned and surprised that he did not,” Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher told a press conference at Al-Falah auditorium in the capital’s Moghbazar area yesterday.
He, however, said, “We view the chief adviser’s announcement positively in the greater national interest.”
In reply to a query, Taher said, “As you know, the Jamaat ameer told journalists on April 16 that it would be appropriate to hold the election before Ramadan, which is in the month of February.”
The Jamaat leader said the July Declaration is “incomplete” and does not reflect the expectations of the masses.
He said the people had high hopes regarding the July Declaration and now they are concerned and anxious about the country’s future.
Taher questioned as to why the declaration was not being given a legal basis.
He also urged a swift completion and implementation of the July Charter to ensure a free, fair, and broadly acceptable election.
Taher also demanded a level playing field for all political parties.
The National Citizen Party also termed the July Declaration “incomplete” and called for visible implementation of agreed-upon reforms and ensuring a level playing field before the polls.
At a press briefing in the NCP’s Banglamotor office, its Member Secretary Akhter Hossen said the declaration left out several pivotal national incidents and movements, thereby failed to provide a full historical narrative.
He pointed out that events like the Pilkhana carnage, Shapla Chattar crackdown, judicial killings, 2018 quota reform movement, road safety protests, the anti-Modi demonstrations, and the movement for justice after Abrar Fahad killing were all missing from the July Declaration.
Akhter also criticised the government’s failure to determine the exact number of martyrs in the July uprising. “The declaration mentions ‘around one thousand’ martyrs, whereas a UN report states 1,400. This discrepancy remains unresolved.”
The NCP leader noted that while the declaration promises recognition of July martyrs as “national heroes” and legal protection for participants of the movement, some important issues the NCP recommended were excluded.
“What we found to be the most important point is that this declaration says that it will be mentioned in the schedule of the constitution amended by an elected government… We, the NCP, have long been demanding a new constitution for Bangladesh. In that regard, we have called upon the government to rewrite the constitution through a Constituent Assembly.”
The NCP called for the immediate implementation of key reforms already agreed upon by political parties before the next national election.
“The next national election should be held only after the July Charter and Declaration are fully implemented,” Akhter added.
He clarified that the NCP does not object to the chief adviser’s mentioning of election in February. “However, before holding polls, the government must fulfil certain responsibilities: making the reforms visible and ensuring justice for those killed during the uprising.”
In a separate press briefing, Islami Andolon Bangladesh (IAB) said determining the election month before any decision is made regarding the election system, the most important issue related to political reform, is a clear disregard of public demand.
The party urged the Election Commission not to announce the election schedule before any decision is made regarding the electoral system in the next national polls.
It also demanded that the national election must be arranged on the basis of the July Charter.
At the party’s central office in the Paltan area, IAB Ameer Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim said a decision has been made to elect the upper house of parliament through the PR system, but there has been no decision on how the members will be selected or what authority, scope, and status of the upper house will have.
“These matters must be resolved clearly before the election.”
Meanwhile, BNP called upon all other parties and people to come forward to ensure a successful election and to build an effective parliament.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the party believes this historic announcement of holding the polls in February will help overcome the political deadlock in Bangladesh and make the path to democracy smoother.
The party also believes that the government and the EC will take all necessary steps to make this election fair, free, and acceptable to all, he told a media briefing at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office yesterday.
In the statement, Fakhrul said BNP welcomes the July Declaration.
“BNP believes that the promises made by political parties in this declaration will begin the journey towards a new democratic Bangladesh. It will create a chance to build a truly progressive and prosperous Bangladesh based on equality, values, and justice.”
Responding to queries on their objections about two “student-advisers”, the BNP leader said, “The work of Prof Yunus shows that he won’t do anything in the future that would make the election questionable.”
In a statement, Gono Odhikar Parishad said they would boycott the July Declaration if the background of the July uprising is not included.
Party General Secretary Md Rashed Khan said, “The movement against discrimination of 2024 began in demand for reinstating the 2018 circular abolishing the quota system.”