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After receiving reports from four reform commissions, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus says that the charter for the mass uprising will be issued after discussions with all parties, paving the way for the 13th national parliamentary election.
The Electoral Reform Commission, the Police Reform Commission, the Constitutional Reform Corruption, and the Anti-Corruption Commission Reform Commission submitted their reports on state reforms to the chief advisor at 11:30am on Wednesday.
A summary of the reports was then presented at the meeting.
Noting that a new chapter has begun with the submission of the reports, Yunus said: “Through these we can start discussions on whether everyone agrees or not, and whether promises are being fulfilled.”
“You [the reform commissions] have prepared the groundwork for our discussions. We also know what the next chapter of these discussions will be – a consensus will be established. Not everyone will agree. But in some parts, you will all be in unison.”
He said, “All the dreams we saw – did we dream them alone? We cannot proceed without giving the people a part of their dream. These discussions are to establish how much of the [mass uprising’s] dreams we are able to realise. These are not things imposed from outside, but something that emerges from within.”
The reform commission’s reports will lead the discussions to establish consensus between the dreams of the people and the stakeholders, the chief advisor said. This consensus will lead to a charter for the mass uprising.
The charter will also form the basis for the 13th parliamentary election, Yunus said.
“This will be the charter of the new Bangladesh. This charter will be based on consensus. Elections will be held. Everything will be done. But the charter will not be lost. This charter will remain a part of history. This is our national commitment. It is not a party-based commitment. We want all parties to sign on to the charter.”
Bangladesh and the Bengali nation will move forward through this charter, forged through consensus, Yunus said.
“The elections that will be held in the future will be based on this charter.”
On Victory Day, the chief advisor had said that the date for the upcoming elections would be based on political consensus, but would likely be held at the end of 2025 or the first half of 2026.
The BNP on Tuesday urged the interim government to hold elections in July or August of 2025.
Yunus said on Wednesday, “The charter that we agree to, whatever happens, should not fall through our fingers. We want continuity for our dream. We want it to be implemented.”
“The election will be a part of that. A part of the charter. There will be a consensus election. Otherwise, if there is no consensus, the charter will be lost. That is how we want to move forward. So, this is a very important thing. We have to realise its importance and start the next chapter accordingly.”