Political parties hold rallies in Bangladesh to demand referendum on national charter before elections

Islamists in Bangladesh rallied on Tuesday to demand the interim government legalize a national charter proposed after the ouster of the previous regime, saying that there is no possibility of holding a general election without a legally binding roadmap for political reforms. [ . . . ] The key demand is for a referendum on the “July National Charter,” which is named after the national uprising that began in July 2024 and led to the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following a 15-year rule that critics said had become increasingly autocratic. But the charter is currently nonbinding, and the parties say a referendum is needed to make it legally binding and a part of the constitution. Only a Parliament can bring changes to the constitution in Bangladesh, a parliamentary democracy of 170 million people.
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