The National Citizen Party (NCP) has urged the authorities to spell out both the format and the date of the proposed referendum intended to provide a legal basis for the “July Charter,” calling for immediate transparency on the ballot question, methodology and timeline.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s temporary central office in Dhaka’s Banglamotor on Saturday (October 18), NCP leaders explained why they stayed away from Friday’s charter-signing ceremony at the south plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad. 

The party’s Member Secretary, Akhtar Hossain, read a prepared statement, while Convener Nahid Islam and Akhtar Hossain took questions from reporters. Public references to NCP’s Banglamotor office and its senior leadership use these spellings. 

Akhtar Hossain said the interim authorities should “immediately” furnish a draft of the executive order setting out the implementation pathway for the July Charter and present it to the nation. 

He added that citizens must be told clearly how the referendum will be conducted—its question, structure and polling date—and stressed that the charter should be framed as an expression of popular sovereignty that emerged during the uprising. 

Earlier statements from NCP leaders have consistently demanded a legally enforceable framework for the charter before the party lends its signature. 

The NCP also appealed to the National Consensus Commission to avoid any partisan or pressured conduct and to remain focused on providing the charter with a legal foundation. 

The party warned against allowing the July Charter to devolve into a non-binding political compact or “gentleman’s agreement,” reiterating that the public deserves clarity on both legal basis and execution. 

Explaining its absence from the signing event, the NCP said it refrained from participation because the charter lacked a defined legal underpinning and a transparent implementation roadmap. 

Party leaders said they understand that other political groups are waiting to review a formal draft that sets out how legal force will be conferred. 

In recent months, the NCP has repeatedly maintained that it will not sign unless core reforms are embedded in binding instruments. 

The party further argued that the July Charter will necessitate fundamental constitutional changes and that the next parliament should be vested with structural powers to craft a reformed basic law—one the NCP suggests could be styled the “Constitution (Reformed) 2026.” 

SMS/