BNP Raises Objections Over Final Draft of July Charter

Salahuddin Ahmed, a member of the BNP’s Standing Committee, has expressed objections regarding the final draft of the July Charter, particularly concerning its introduction and points 2, 3, and 4. He claimed that the introduction contains inaccurate information.

Speaking to journalists at his Gulshan residence on Tuesday, 19 August, Salahuddin highlighted that certain issues included in the July Charter were never discussed, while some matters were not accurately represented. He stated that BNP will review the draft thoroughly and submit its feedback to the Election Commission.

He noted that although the draft mentions that constitutional amendments would be passed within two years of forming the next parliament, this commitment is missing in the final draft.

Salahuddin Ahmed elaborated on the contents of the July Charter, saying: “Among the 84 points raised, it is crucial to determine how the implementation of agreed points will proceed, how disagreements noted as ‘notes of dissent’ will be resolved, and how constitutional reforms mentioned in the charter will be executed. BNP will review all these issues and submit its recommendations to the commission.”

Regarding constitutional amendments, he added that many points had received notes of dissent from various political parties. While several of these could be implemented through ordinances or executive orders by the government, the charter should have guaranteed that all constitutional amendments agreed upon would be implemented by the next parliament within two years.

Salahuddin pointed out: “In the previous charter, it was explicitly stated that the elected parliament would implement the July Charter within two years. This assurance is absent in the new draft. Furthermore, after the second-phase discussions, the charter was positioned above the constitution in the commitment statement. No document can supersede the constitution. If the charter is placed above it, it would set a negative precedent. Claims that questions cannot be raised about the July Charter are also inaccurate.”

On the issue of elections, he confirmed: “Elections will be held in the first half of February 2026. The chief adviser has already sent a letter to the Election Commission, which is nearly fully prepared. Several advisers have strongly voiced their positions over the past few days. There is no doubt about this. Those discussing elections in public speeches may be doing so as an electoral strategy to exert pressure, and I have no comments on such statements.”