Bangladesh To Unveil Reform Charter On Revolution Anniversary

Bangladesh's interim government said Saturday it will release its slate of democratic overhauls on August 5, the one-year anniversary of the overthrow of the previous Sheikh Hasina government.

Muhammad Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, is leading the caretaker government as its chief adviser.

Copies of the draft have been sent to political parties for their consent.

The Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser Shafiqul Alam made the announcement on his Facebook page and said "... it will be presented before the nation in the presence of all parties in a mass ceremony next Tuesday, August 5 at 5 pm."

Protests against Sheikh Hasina government began on July 1, 2024, with university students calling for reforms to a quota system for public sector jobs. They culminated on August 5, 2024, when thousands of protesters stormed Hasina's palace as she escaped in a military aircraft to India.

The July Declaration is a long-anticipated document aimed at creating a charter in Bangladesh's ongoing transition to mark the first anniversary of the mass uprising that toppled the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5 last year.

It is seen as the official state commentary on July protests, and the interim government says the document aims to unify the country around the values of anti-fascism, democratic resurgence, and state reform.

The document is being drafted by a body called the National Consensus Commission, which concluded discussions on Thursday.

There are questions on the legal basis and implementation of the path envisaged in the documented government resolution in Bangladesh.

In the discussions held by the National Consensus Commission, consensus and decisions were reached on 19 out of the 23 fundamental reform proposals. Reports in the Bangladesh media say all parties agreed unanimously on eight issues. The remaining 11 were decided with differing views or comments from various parties.

Bangladesh has been governed by an unelected interim government with no political mandate since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August last year.

Massive protests had gripped Bangladesh in July over a quota issue and the Awami League, which was in power till August 2024, has been banned from contesting elections by the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

Elections have been announced for April 2026 and the reforms that have been cited by the interim government as a precursor to holding elections will be articulated in the July Declaration.

A clear picture of how the charter will be implemented will emerge after discussions with the political parties and the National Consensus Commission in Bangladesh is likely to clarify on this issue on Sunday.

The main opposition party when the Sheikh Hasina regime was in power, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has reiterated on its demand for elections in February.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said the people want Bangladesh to be run by an elected government.

"August is the month of mourning. In this month, Bangladesh witnessed some of the most tragic events in its history- brutal assassinations and the heinous grenade attack. Moreover, in August of last year, anti-liberation and anti-state forces-nurtured by Pakistani ideology-unlawfully seized state power through a deep domestic and international conspiracy. This disrupted the path toward a prosperous Bangladesh and shut all doors of opportunity," said the Bangladesh Awami League.

"August 15 marks National Mourning Day-a day stained by one of the most horrific and barbaric assassinations in the history of human civilization. On this day in 1975, the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman-leader of the Bengali liberation movement, a symbol of hope for the oppressed around the world, and architect of sovereign Bangladesh-was assassinated along with most of his family by a group of reactionary killers," the party added.