The much-anticipated “July National Charter-2025” will be signed today (October 17) at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban around 4:00 PM, marking a historic milestone in Bangladesh’s political journey toward national unity and democratic renewal.
Chief Adviser and Chairman of the National Consensus Commission (Jatiya Oaikymoto Commission), Professor Muhammad Yunus, will attend the signing ceremony as the chief guest.
As part of final preparations, Professor Yunus convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday evening at the Foreign Service Academy, attended by leaders of major 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 the Biplobi Workers Party.
Copies of the 40-page charter have already been circulated nationwide. The document traces Bangladesh’s political evolution—from the British colonial era and the 1952 Language Movement to the 1971 Liberation War and the 1975 constitutional shift to a one-party system.
It notes that although multi-party democracy was restored in 1978 and institutionalized through the 1979 parliamentary elections, democratic progress was later disrupted.
The charter criticizes the 2009–2024 period as one of autocratic governance, alleging that political power became concentrated among a few individuals and families. It condemns the controversial elections of 2014, 2018, and 2024 for eroding democratic institutions, politicizing the judiciary and administration, and enabling widespread corruption.
Referencing recent youth-led and civil society movements—including the 2018 road safety protests, anti-quota and anti-discrimination movements, and the July 2024 mass uprising—the charter underscores the people’s demand for genuine democracy and inclusive governance.
Concluding with a seven-point national commitment, the July National Charter-2025 calls on political parties to uphold the spirit of the July 2024 uprising, restore democratic accountability, and build a governance framework based on national consensus.
MN/
