Referendum should be held by late November: Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Taher

A separate referendum should be held by the end of November, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher said today (8 October).

“If it is confirmed within November, the next national election can be held based on that. In the past, Bangladesh has seen referendums held just 19 days before elections,” he told journalists after the fifth meeting of the National Consensus Commission with political parties.

The discussion was held on the implementation of the July Charter at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.

The Jamaat leader further said if the referendum and the national election are held simultaneously, it will create complications. “The referendum can be conducted alongside the preparations for the national election — only separate ballot papers will be needed,” reports UNB.

“Now we have all agreed that the July Charter will be accepted through the referendum…Many have said that the referendum and the national election will be held together, but we said the referendum is a different matter and the national election is a different matter,” he added.

Referring to BNP’s note of dissent, Taher said, “There’s only one party that has a note of dissent. They talk about reform but officially issue dissent notes again. A single party’s note of dissent cannot represent the mandate of the entire nation. A note of dissent does not mean part of the decision.”