The much-anticipated “July National Charter-2025” will be signed on Friday (October 17) at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban around 4:00 PM, marking a milestone in Bangladesh’s political history.

Chief Adviser and Chairman of the seven-member National Consensus Commission (Jatiya Oaikymoto Commission), Professor Muhammad Yunus, will grace the signing ceremony as the chief guest.

As part of the final preparations, the Chief Adviser convened an emergency meeting at the Foreign Service Academy on Wednesday evening. The meeting was attended by leaders of various political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party (NCP), Gono Songhoti Andolon, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Rab), and Biplobi Workers Party.

Copies of the 40-page charter have already been distributed to political parties nationwide. The document outlines the political evolution of Bangladesh—from the British colonial period and the 1952 Language Movement to the Liberation War of 1971 and the constitutional shift to a one-party system in 1975.

It further notes that while democracy was restored through the 1979 parliamentary elections following the reintroduction of multi-party politics in 1978, the democratic process was short-lived.

The charter criticizes the period between 2009 and 2024, describing it as dominated by autocratic governance that favored a few individuals and families. It condemns the controversial elections of 2014, 2018, and 2024 for undermining democracy, politicizing key state institutions, and fostering corruption.

Reflecting on recent movements, including the 2018 road safety protests, anti-quota and anti-discrimination movements, and the mass uprising of July 2024, the charter emphasizes the people’s demand for genuine democracy.

It concludes with a seven-point commitment, calling on political leaders to endorse it as a pledge to uphold the spirit of the July 2024 uprising and restore democratic governance based on national consensus.

MN/