Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Dr AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad on Friday criticised what he described as the government's "narrow-minded" assessment of the opposition's participation in the presidential election.

In a statement, he said the government is viewing the opposition's participation through a politically “narrow-minded” perspective instead of assessing it from a liberal and democratic lens.

Referring to a recent remark by a cabinet member that the oath taken by opposition members to the Constitution Reform Council could no longer remain valid because they participated in the presidential election while retaining Article 70 of the Constitution, Hamidur questioned the logic behind the argument.

"If this argument is acceptable, then how can the oath taken as Members of Parliament remain valid? Because no parliamentary election was held through a constitutional process in 2026," he said.

He said their position is "very clear", adding that the opposition's participation in the presidential election was a symbolic protest against the limitations of the government's desired reform process and an effort to introduce a new form of democratic practice.

"We already knew what the outcome of the election would be. Even so, we participated to make our position clear to the people and strengthen the demand for democracy," the Jamaat leader said.

He said the people have once again realised why constitutional reform is essential to make democracy in Bangladesh effective, accountable and sustainable.

Hamidur urged the government not to interpret the opposition's participation in a narrow manner and instead understand its underlying democratic message.

"The government must respect the people's expectations by implementing the verdict of the referendum and taking effective initiatives for necessary constitutional reforms," he said.

"No government can run the state in the long term by ignoring the aspirations of the people," the Jamaat leader added.