A historic political accord, the ‘July National Charter 2025’, was signed on Friday by major political parties and alliances, alongside Chief Adviser and National Consensus Commission (NCC) head Prof Muhammad Yunus, in a landmark effort to reform the State following the 2024 mass uprising.
The charter, comprising 84 major reform recommendations and a seven-point implementation commitment, was formalised at 5:06pm at a much-hyped event held at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad, amid celebrations.
Major political parties, including the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB), Gono Odhikar Parishad, Nagorik Oikya, Ganosamhati Andolon and Biplabi Workers Party participated in the signing ceremony.
National Citizen Party (NCP) and several leftist parties, however, opted to boycott the event.
Two representatives from each participating party signed the July Charter, a historic document of political consensus—before Chief Adviser and NCC head Prof Muhammad Yunus placed his signature to formalise the reform accord.
On behalf of BNP, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed signed the reform charter, while Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher and Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar inked it for their party.
Among others, Nagorik Oikya President Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Ganosamhati Andolon Chief Coordinator Zonayed Saki, Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur and General Secretary Rashed Khan, and IAB Presidium Member Ashraf Ali Khan Akand were present on the stage.
The Chief Adviser addressed the gathering after the signing of the charter and NCC Vice Chair Prof Ali Riaz spoke at the event moderated by Chief Adviser’s special assistant Monir Haider. The event started with the national anthem around 4:30pm. The programme was 30 minute late due to inclement weather.
Other major proposals include making a referendum mandatory to amend provisions related to the caretaker government (Article 58) and certain other constitutional provisions—Article 8 (Fundamental Principles), Article 48 (The President), Article 56 (Ministers), and Article 142 (Constitutional Amendment). The Charter also recommends prohibiting any person from simultaneously serving as both Prime Minister and party chief, and appointing the most senior judge of the Supreme Court as Chief Justice.
The charter also contains the notes of dissent and different views expressed from different political parties and alliances.
It also details the establishment of the National Consensus Commission on February 12, 2025, tasked with developing final reform proposals through consultations with political parties and stakeholders based on the reports of the six commissions.
Initially constituted for six months, the NCC’s tenure was later extended three times, now continuing until October 31, 2025.
The NCC conducted three rounds of dialogues with 33 political parties and alliances—the first phase from March 20 to May 19, the second from June 3 to July 31 focusing on 20 key issues, and the third from September 11 to October 9 addressing the implementation framework of the July Charter.
