The National Citizen Party (NCP) has softened its position on holding a referendum to approve the July Charter. It now says the referendum can be held either before or on the day of the national election.
NCP Convener Nahid Islam made the statement while speaking to reporters at the party’s central office on Sunday.
Previously, the NCP had been demanding that the referendum be held before the parliamentary election. Jamaat-e-Islami still maintains that stance, while the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been calling for the referendum to be held on the same day as the election.
Nahid Islam termed the debate between BNP and Jamaat over the referendum timing unnecessary. “The NCP prioritises holding the referendum before the election, but it could also be held on election day depending on the government’s capacity,” he said.
He made the remarks at an emergency press conference at the party’s Banglamotor office in Dhaka on Sunday afternoon.
Nahid said there is room for political debate among parties over the issues on which the NCP could not agree with the Consensus Commission.
“The main points of contention are what issues will be included in the charter, their legal basis, how they will be implemented, and whether Muhammad Yunus will issue the order for the referendum. If consensus is reached on these matters, the referendum can be held before or on election day. We are open to that,” he said.
However, he also said the NCP would not accept an order signed by the president for the implementation of the July Charter.
Referring to the growing dispute between BNP and Jamaat over whether the referendum or the election should be held first, Nahid said, “We consider this debate unnecessary.
“The BNP has opposed and issued notes of dissent on several proposals of the Consensus Commission from the beginning, which raises questions among the public about how committed they are to reform. On the other hand, Jamaat’s activities suggest they may have intentions to delay the election.”
Stating that the NCP wants both timely elections and the implementation of the July Charter, Nahid said, “It seems one party is trying to derail reform while another is trying to delay the election. Our assessment is based on that situation. But we want neither. We want both the election and the legal foundation of the July Charter.”
To overcome this unwanted debate, Nahid urged BNP, Jamaat, and other political parties to sit together. Mentioning that all parties have notes of dissent regarding the July Charter, he said, “As a party, we also have some disagreements with the Consensus Commission.
“If all parties declare in their manifestos that they will implement the July Charter in their own way, then there was no need for the Consensus Commission’s long process. Once a referendum is held, those notes of dissent will no longer matter, as the people’s opinion will take precedence.”
When asked when the order for the referendum on the July Charter should be issued, Nahid said, “I believe the order should be issued within November.”
He also alleged that the delay in resolving the party’s election symbol issue was meant to obstruct the NCP’s participation in the polls, claiming that the ‘Shapla Koli’ symbol could have been allocated a month earlier.
At the time, Nahid also announced that he would contest the national election from one of Dhaka’s constituencies. “I am a son of Dhaka, so I will probably run from Dhaka,” he said, adding that other party leaders were assigned responsibilities in their respective areas and were expected to contest from those constituencies.
“We hope to finalise candidates for all 300 seats within this month, where more detailed decisions will be made,” he said.
