Bangladesh election and referendum may prolong instability, caution candidates and experts

Days ahead of the general election and popular referendum of February 12, candidates and experts questioned the wisdom of holding the referendum that aims to curtail power of the Prime Minister’s post. They said there is very little understanding among the public about the idea and aims of the referendum and that there are chances that the outcomes of the two processes may lead to ‘tension’ that may prolong political instability in the country.

The referendum is aimed at implementing the recommendations made by July Charter, a document created by the National Consensus Commission that was formed for constitutional reform after the overthrow of the Sheikh Hasina regime. Among its several recommendations, the July Charter seeks to enhance power of the President of Bangladesh which is largely a ceremonial position at the moment. It also recommends to remove the term ‘Bengalee’ from Article 6(2) of the present constitution and replace it with ‘Bangladeshi’.

That apart, much of the focus of the Charter is aimed at curtailing power of the Prime Minister with the aim to ensure that no future Prime Minister would be able to abuse authority. These provisions have already given rise to concern among the candidates who are campaigning for the February 12 polling.

The National Consensus Commission consulted political parties while drafting the July Charter but electoral candidates here said that they were not ‘involved’ in the drafting of the July Charter. BNP-backed Andaleev Rahman Partho who is contesting for Bhola-1 constituency in southern Bangladesh said, “Some of the political parties were consulted while making the July Charter, but we were not involved in the drafting process in the way that was necessary.”

He further said that the prominence of the national parliament should not be diluted through means that fall outside the realm of electoral politics. He said that as a representative of young Bangladeshis, he “acknowledges” the sacrifices made in July-August to overthrow the Governement of Sheikh Hasina but he does not want to make changes to the parliamentary process that is currently prevailing in Bangladesh as that system can not be blamed for the excesses committed by Sheikh Hasina.

“I own and acknowledge the July Spirit, that emanated from the sacrifices of July 2024 but I do not want to make it into a Magna Carta of sorts. The recommendations of the July Charter should be passed by the next parliament as that is the best way forward,” said Mr. Rahman Partho who is the leader of Bangladesh Jatiyo Party which is being supported by Tarique Rahman-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). He argued that corruption depends on individuals and that it is not right to imagine that all future Prime Ministers will have a tendency to centralise power and become financially corrupt. He also said that people at large are unaware about the various aspects of the July Charter. “People are focused on the election, they want to elect the next members of the parliament. I am certain not even one tenth of my voters are actually aware of what the referendum is aiming to deliver,” said Mr. Rahman Partho.

Shafqat Munir, Senior Fellow at Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) also said the referendum may end up creating further difficulties before the country. “The questions asked in the referendum and the process of executing the referendum is complex and in some cases opaque. The electorate especially in the rural areas has scant understanding of what they are voting for. The interim government’s initial handling of the referendum has raised several major questions,” said Mr. Munir.