Do you approve of the July National Charter (Constitution Amendment) Implementation Order, 2025, and the following proposals for constitutional reform as recorded in the July National Charter?
A constitutional referendum took place in Bangladesh on 12 February 2026, alongside the general election.[1] Voters were asked about the provisions of the July Charter and related amendments to the Constitution of Bangladesh. "July National Charter (Constitutional Amendment) Implementation Order, 2025" were issued for this purpose.[2]
The referendum propounds reforms to countervail among state institutions — the legislature, executive and judiciary and improve accountability in governance. If the referendum is passed, the newly elected parliament will act as a constituent assembly to enact the changes in the constitution agreed in the charter.[3][4]
The "Yes" vote passed in the referendum,[5][6] with 68% votes in favor on a turnout of 60%. The "Yes" vote does not, by itself, change the Constitution; it is a mandate to change the Constitution. It is considered politically binding, not legally binding.[7]
This order provides for a national referendum in which voters will approve or reject the proposed reforms, including the establishment of a caretaker government and an independent election commission, the introduction of a bicameral parliament, term limits for the prime minister, enhanced presidential powers and judicial independence, and increased women’s representation in parliament. If approved, a "Constitution Reform Council" composed of all newly elected members of parliament will be formed to complete the constitutional amendments within 180 working days from the date of commencement of its first session, upon which the Council shall be dissolved. While certain provisions of the order take effect immediately, others will be implemented only upon a positive referendum result, with the election commission responsible for organizing the vote and facilitating the legal process to formally incorporate the July Charter into the Constitution of Bangladesh.[10]
Question
The referendum question outlines various reforms suggested by the Reform Commissions of Bangladesh. The ballot for the referendum reads as follows:
Do you approve of the July National Charter (Constitution Amendment) Implementation Order, 2025 and the following proposals for constitutional reform as recorded in the July National Charter?
a. The caretaker government during election, the Election Commission, and other constitutional institutions shall be constituted in accordance with the process described in the July Charter.
c. The 30 reform proposals on which political parties reached consensus under the July National Charter — including increased representation of women in Parliament, election of the Deputy Speaker and parliamentary committee chairs from the opposition, term limits for the Prime Minister, enhanced powers of the President, expansion of fundamental rights, judicial independence, and strengthening of local government — shall be binding on the parties that win the upcoming election.
d. Other reforms outlined in the July Charter shall be implemented according to the commitments made by political parties.[11]
"Bangladeshi" will replace "Bengali" as the nationality of the citizens of Bangladesh.
A two-thirds majority in the proposed lower house and a simple majority in the proposed upper house of the legislature will be required to amend the constitution.
A two-thirds majority in both houses will be required to impeach the president.
Presidential pardon will be subject to the consent of the family of the victims.
One person cannot serve as the prime minister for more than 10 years
The Caretaker system will be reinstated, and will be formed by the consensus among the ruling party, the main opposition and the second opposition parties.
The Election Commission will be formed under the supervision of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Justice.
Number of the appointed justices in the appellate division will be determined by the needs of the chief justice, and appointment of justices in the high court will be solely vested on the chief justice.
Full freedom of judiciary will be constitutionally guaranteed, necessary numbers of high court benches will be established in each division, Supreme Judicial Council will be strengthened, and the supreme court will be entrusted with the control of the appointment of lower court judges.
An Ombudsman will be appointed under the supervision of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Prime Minister, Leaders of Opposition Parties, and the Justices of the Appellate Division.
Separate committees will be formed comprising opposition parties for the appointment of the Public Service Commission, the appointment of the auditor general and comptroller, and the appointment of the Anti-Corruption Commission Chairman and Commissioner.
A new article will be added to the constitution calling to prevent the misuse of constitutional powers.
Legal reforms
37 reforms will be brought by amending the existing acts, ordinances, executive orders, and bills:[12]
Special rights, limits of rights, and responsibilities of committees and members of parliament will be defined through legislation.
Reforms brought by the interim government before the general election such law on gerrymandering, mandatory code of conduct for incumbent and former judges, establishment of the supreme court secretariat, formation of an independent criminal investigation service, increase in the manpower of the judiciary, conversion of the National Legal Aid Agency into a directorate, details of assets of judges and supporting staff, digitalization of court management, and issues related to the code of conduct for lawyers will be recognized through legislation.
An independent and permanent Public Administration Reform Commission to implement public administration reform programs will be formed, additionally the existing Public Service Commission will be divided into Public Service Commission (General), Public Service Commission (Education), and Public Service Commission (Health).
The alliance is campaigning for a yes vote to a position in favor of necessary reforms, a system to strengthen the state and democracy, establishing people's rights, moving forward on the path of good governance, to provide necessary reforms in the state structure, establish justice, protect democratic rights for voters, an opportunity for people to express their opinions and it will pave the way for positive changes in the country's governance.[18]
Party Chairman Tarique Rahman urged his supporters to vote "yes" in the referendum during a campaign event at Rangpur.[19]Secretary-generalMirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also confirmed his party's support for the yes vote.[20] Although there have been reports of local party leaders campaigning for a "no" vote in the referendum.[21][22]
The Business Standard reported some statistical and reporting anomalies in the referendum. Figures included impossible numbers such as a 244.3% turnout in Rajshahi-4 which included 612,229 votes for "No" and 145,382 for "Yes" against 319,909 registered voters, vote counts in areas of Netrokona which exceeded the number of registered voters, and discrepancies between the referendum and the parallel parliamentary elections in Sirajganj-1.[26][27][28] However, press secretary Shafiqul Alam stated that when asked about the news that 200 per cent of the votes were cast in a centre in the election, he said, "This is false journalism. It is basically a mistake due to currency. Whoever reported such news did so without talking to the returning officer. It was later corrected."[29]
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