Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami now wants the proposed referendum on the July National Charter 2025 to be held any day before the next generation election, said its assistant secretary general AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad on Wednesday.

“The latest stance of our eight parties is that the referendum should be held any day before the election,” he said while talking to reporters after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin.

A two-member Jamaat delegation, led by Azad, met the CEC at the latter's Nirbachan Bhaban office at 3:30pm.

Earlier, Jamaat had been demanding for arrangements of the referendum within November 2025. But BNP opposed the demand and asked the government and the Election Commission to hold the referendum simultaneously with the national election.

Azad said the CEC told them if the government asks the Election Commission to hold the referendum on a separate day, they will do it.

The Jamaat leader said they will place a formal memorandum before Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Thursday for arrangements of referendum on a separate day.

Explaining the reasons behind the stance, Azad said holding both referendum and the national election on the same day could invite uncertainty over reform. 

If the referendum and election is held on the same day and the polling is suspended at any polling station due to irregularities and violence, then the issue would be uncertain, he said.  

He added that if both votes are held on the same day, people’s attention would naturally shift to their party candidates and symbols, making the referendum a “minor issue,” which may lead to low voter turnout in the referendum and may invite questions over referendum result.

Azad said the eight-party alliance, which is waging a movement on a five-point demand, held three meetings recently and focused the promulgation of an order on the July Charter, which has already been late.

Jamaat forms 2-member committee to hold talks with political parties

In response to a question about seat-sharing talks with the National Citizen Party (NCP), Azad said they haven’t started specific discussions on seat allocations with any party including NCP.

During the meeting, Jamaat drew the EC’s attention to some recent incidents to ensure the pre-electoral law and order situation otherwise the situation would go beyond control during the election. “If you can't control the pre-election environment, then you won't be able to control it during the election,” he told the EC.

He further said Jamaat also demanded effective measures to ensure the voting rights of expatriates and proper implementation of the postal ballot system.

Another delegation member is Jamaat publicity and media secretary Matiur Rahman Akanda.