‘If the July Charter takes precedence over the Constitution, it will set a bad precedent’

Staff Correspondent. Dhaka, August 19, 2025:

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has strongly objected to giving the July Charter precedence over the constitution. The party’s standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said such a move would set a ‘bad precedent’ that could be detrimental to the country’s constitutional framework. The BNP expressed this position on the final draft of the ‘July National Charter 2025’ prepared by the National Consensus Commission.

According to BNP, the proposal to give precedence to the July Charter over the constitution is unacceptable. Salahuddin Ahmed told the media, “There are some inconsistencies in the draft and some issues have not been presented correctly.” He added that while BNP agrees with most of the charter’s proposals, the party disagrees with the proposal to implement it outside the constitutional framework. BNP believes that the reform proposals should be implemented through an elected parliament, which can be completed within two years.

Discussions between various political parties and the National Consensus Commission on the July Charter are ongoing. The commission has already sent an 84-point draft to political parties, which proposes reforms in various areas including the constitution, electoral system, judiciary, public administration and anti-corruption. However, the BNP, while viewing the charter as a political document, has expressed doubts about its legal basis and constitutional primacy.

On the other hand, some parties including Jamaat-e-Islami, NCP, and Islami Andolan Bangladesh have taken a strong stand in favor of implementing the July Charter through a referendum or Constituent Assembly elections. They believe that the implementation of the charter is essential for fair elections. Due to this disagreement, there is tension among political parties over the finalization and implementation process of the July Charter.

BNP leaders have said they will review the draft charter and give their final opinion by August 20. While the party is sincere about reforms, its firm stance on giving the July charter a place above the constitution remains unchanged.

Meanwhile, National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman Professor Ali Riaz said that further discussions are needed to finalize the draft of the charter. He expressed hope that the charter will be announced by the first week of September.

Analysts believe that BNP’s stance on the July Charter could pose a major challenge to political unity. There is a possibility of more intense debate in the coming days over how to reconcile the Charter with the Constitution.