After months of deliberation, the roadmap for implementing the July National Charter has finally been set, marking a major step toward legally institutionalising the aspirations of July mass uprising.
The National Consensus Commission (NCC) on Tuesday submitted its final set of recommendations to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus at the state guest house Jamuna.
The commission’s Vice-chairman Ali Riaz handed over the recommendations to the chief adviser in the presence of other commission members. The recommendations propose a three-phase process for giving the July National Charter a legal foundation.
According to the proposals, the interim government will first issue a “July National Charter Implementation Order.” The order will then be placed for a public referendum.
If the referendum passes, the next elected parliament will be legally bound to implement the order within 270 days (nine months). The commission also suggested that if the order is not implemented within that time, it should automatically come into effect.
Speaking to reporters at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, Ali Riaz said the government should swiftly implement non-constitutional matters through ordinances. He added that the commission’s recommendations were based on extensive consultations with political parties, legal experts, judges, academics and civil society leaders.
During the closing meeting of the commission held on Monday at Jamuna and chaired by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser underscored the need to preserve all documents, videos, audios and photographs from the commission’s discussions as “invaluable assets and living documents of history” that would shape future political discourse.
He also expressed gratitude to political parties, officials, researchers and media personnel for their contributions to the commission’s work.
Commission members urged the government to finalise the outline for implementing the July Charter and to act on the recommendations of other reform commissions.
Reacting to the development, lawyer and Jamaat leader Advocate Shishir Monir said there is no scope for confusion regarding the recommendations, adding that the charter must now be implemented in line with the commission’s roadmap.
BNP Chairperson’s Adviser Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon said the implementation of the July Charter would mark a milestone for the nation.
The July Charter 2025 was signed on 17 October amid a boycott by several political parties, including the National Citizen Party.
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, members of the National Consensus Commission and leaders of various political parties signed the charter at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in Dhaka.
