Bangladesh's next election on the guide of July Charter : Ali Riaz

The upcoming national election is expected to be held in line with the July Charter, which will soon be published by the National Consensus Commission (NCC) based on input from political parties and public opinion, said the commission's vice chairman Prof Ali Riaz yesterday.

Speaking at a meeting with Nagorik Oikya at the Jatiya Sangsad, Prof Riaz said, "For the first time since independence, we have created a participatory process for state reforms involving all stakeholders. This has been made possible due to the people's struggle and the efforts of political parties, with Nagorik Oikya being one of the key partners."

"We hope that by continuing this dialogue, we will be able to prepare a National Charter. The commission's tenure ends on July 14, and we aim to complete our work by then. One of our main goals is the July Charter, which will outline a roadmap for the future of Bangladesh. Holding the next election is a part of this process," he added.

Prof Riaz also said the July Charter would play an important role in ensuring free and fair elections. The NCC met with Nagorik Oikya after 3:00pm yesterday. A 10-member delegation from Nagorik Oikya, led by its presidium member Zillur Chowdhury Dipu, took part in the meeting.

During the discussion, Dipu said, "Since independence, the people's aspirations for freedom and democracy have remained largely unfulfilled. After 54 years, the current government's initiative to establish democracy is a groundbreaking step."

"We believe that through this process, people will achieve the democracy, justice, and good governance they desire- in short, a complete democracy," he added

Referring to the commission's spreadsheet seeking feedback on various recommendations, Dipu said, "Out of 166 proposals, we agreed with 114, partially agreed with 11, and disagreed with the rest. We hope to learn the reasoning behind each proposal during this discussion."

The NCC, led by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, began its work on February 15. The commission is working to finalise combined recommendations from various reform commissions and build consensus among political parties.

It asked 38 political parties to submit feedback on the key recommendations by March 13. However, nine parties have yet to submit their responses.

After receiving feedback, the commission began holding discussions with the parties. It first met with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on March 18.

After Eid, the NCC met with the Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party on Monday and with Nagorik Oikya yesterday. So far, the commission has held meetings with six political parties.