After over a year of discussions, the “July Charter 2025,” which includes commitments to state reforms, was signed on Friday. However, the National Citizen Party (NCP) refrained from signing the document.
The party’s convener, Nahid Islam, described the charter as “legally baseless,” labeling it a direct “public deception and mockery,” and warned that the party might take to the streets if necessary.
According to NCP sources, there are two main reasons for withholding their signature: the charter lacks a legal foundation, and there is no comprehensive outline for its implementation. NCP officials argue that any amendments to crucial issues like the constitution must be based on a clear legal framework. Agreements supported only by signatures of political parties, they warn, can be broken as in the past.
Nahid Islam said: “If the charter has no legal basis, it carries no meaning. It will be a public deception and a mockery of the nation.”
He also recalled that a similar demand for a legal foundation was made in the case of the earlier “July Declaration,” which was not met, and the text of that declaration was also manipulated, amounting to a form of deception. The NCP does not want that history to repeat.
Moreover, the NCP notes that the charter’s implementation procedures are not clearly defined. Given the history of political promises being broken, signing a charter without a clear implementation plan would amount to deceiving the public. The NCP has stated that it will sign only when the full outline of the charter’s implementation orders is made public.
The NCP has also proposed including three key points in the July Charter: Prior Public Disclosure – Rules for implementation and the referendum question must be revealed to the public in advance. Orders in the Name of the People – Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus should issue orders based on the people’s will. Final Authority of the People – If the public votes ‘yes’ in the referendum, no one else’s ‘no’ can override it. The people’s decision will form the foundation of the Constitution of Bangladesh–2026.
The NCP maintains that its position is not aimed at drafting a political compromise but at ensuring a crucial step toward democratic transformation by dismantling authoritarian foundations.
Ariful Islam Adib, NCP’s senior joint convener, said: “The party will decide whether to sign the charter based on the government’s attitude and approach toward fulfilling our demands. We will meet with the National Consensus Commission and consider signing only if our conditions are met.”
In a press conference at the party’s central office on Saturday, Nahid Islam added: “After the 1990 mass uprising, the public’s aspirations were betrayed by political leaders and parties who pocketed the movement. We will not let that happen this time.”
He also criticized the treatment of July movement participants and the families of martyrs, stating that the July Charter signing event did not reflect any real engagement with the people’s aspirations or their implementation.
The charter, prepared after long discussions with political parties, covers reforms in the constitution, election system, judiciary, and other areas of state governance. Twenty-four parties and alliances, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, have signed it, along with Prof. Muhammad Yunus, interim government’s chief adviser, and members of the National Consensus Commission.
However, the NCP, along with four leftist parties- the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesh Socialist Party (BASAD), BASAD (Marxist), and Bangladesh JASAD- did not sign the July Charter.
