Full speech of Chief Adviser addressing nation

Bismillahir Rahmaner Rahim

My greetings to all my dear countrymen, children, teenagers, young men and women, students, men and women, young and old.

Assalamu Alaikum.

In August last year, we formed an interim government with the strength of the July Uprising. After that, we have now reached a very important juncture in our tenure.

Our government had three main responsibilities. To prosecute the murders, to organize the necessary reforms for the transition to an accountable and effective democratic system, and to hand over power to the government elected through fair elections.

We are moving forward with the trial of the murders who committed crimes during the July Uprising on the orders of the then fascist government. The International Criminal Tribunal formed for this purpose is going to deliver its first verdict soon.

The trial of several other cases in the tribunal is in its final stages. Some trials related to the July massacre have also begun in the general criminal courts. We have also begun trials of heinous crimes like disappearances for the first time in the country's history.

I am happy to inform you that we have also made great progress in the field of reforms. The interim government has completed many important reforms on its own initiative or based on the proposals of various reform commissions. Some of the proposed reforms are still ongoing. Various reforms have been completed through ordinances or by amending existing laws to improve the independence of the judiciary, justice management, transparency in the financial sector, increase institutional capacity, expand digitalization and prevent corruption. We believe that these reforms will play a major role in good governance in the future. I hope that the next elected government will accept these reforms through discussions in parliament.

Another important responsibility of ours is to hold fair elections. I have announced that the national elections are going to be held in the first half of next February. We are making all preparations to conduct this election in a festive, participatory and fair manner.

We are making every effort to properly fulfill the responsibility entrusted to us.

Dear countrymen,

The National Consensus Commission has worked tirelessly for the past nine months to prepare proposals for state structure reforms. During this time, the Commission held long discussions with representatives of the political parties that participated in the July mass uprising. In a very cordial atmosphere, the political parties patiently presented arguments on the various reform proposals raised by the Commission. Despite the differences of opinion, they tried to reduce them. They were able to reach consensus on many issues. The countrymen were able to watch this entire event through live broadcast. This is an unprecedented event not only in the politics of Bangladesh, but also for many countries in the world. It is also promising for future politics. I once again express my sincere gratitude to the members of the Consensus Commission and the leaders of the political parties for making this extraordinary arrangement of democratic practice a success.

The July Charter prepared by the Consensus Commission has created a consensus among the political parties on 30 important constitutional reform proposals. This is a historic achievement. There are minor differences in some proposals. There seems to be a lot of distance in the remaining few proposals, which is not unusual in a democratic process. However, upon closer examination, it can be seen that even in these proposals, the differences are not very deep. Some wanted to make the reform in the constitution, some wanted to do it through the law. But there is no difference between them on the necessity, principles and goals of the reform. Therefore, as much as the public statements of the political parties seem to have contradictory positions, if the July Charter is properly analyzed, there is not that much difference in opinion. This is our unique achievement. This will give the nation the courage to move forward.

Keeping these in mind and taking the July Charter signed by the political parties as the main document, the interim government approved the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order, 2025 in today's advisory council meeting. This is great news. After the necessary signatures, it has already reached the stage of gazette notification.

We have made some important provisions in this order to implement the July Charter. These include the decision to hold a referendum on the constitutional reform proposals of the Charter and the formation of a Constitutional Reform Council at a later date.

We have decided, after considering all the factors, that the referendum will be held on the day of the next National Assembly elections. That is, like the national elections, the referendum will also be held on the same day in early February. This will not hinder the goal of reform in any way. The elections will be more festive and affordable. Necessary laws will be enacted at an appropriate time to hold the referendum.

In light of the July Charter, we have also determined the questions to be presented on the ballot of the referendum.

I am now reading the question before you. The question will be as follows:

“Do you approve the July National Charter Constitutional Reform Implementation Order, 2025, and the following proposals regarding constitutional reforms as enlisted in the July National Charter?

a) During the election period, the caretaker government, Election Commission, and other constitutional bodies will be formed in accordance with the procedures outlined in the July Charter.

b) The next parliament will be bicameral. Based on the proportion of votes received in the national election, a 100-member upper house will be formed, and any constitutional amendment will require the approval of the majority of the upper house members.

c) The political parties that win the next election will be obligated to implement the 30 reform proposals agreed upon in the July National Charter, including increased female representation in parliament, election of the deputy speaker and parliamentary committee chairs from the opposition, limitation of the prime minister’s tenure, enhancement of presidential powers, expansion of fundamental rights, independence of the judiciary, and strengthening of local government.

d) Other reforms outlined in the July Charter will be implemented as per the commitments of the political parties.

If so, the approval of the majority of the upper house will be required.

On the day of the referendum, you will express your opinion by voting ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on only one question on these four issues.

If the majority vote in the referendum is ‘yes’, a Constitutional Reform Council will be formed with the representatives elected in the next parliamentary election. These representatives will also serve as members of the National Parliament. The Council will amend the constitution within 180 working days from the date of the commencement of its first session. After the completion of the constitutional reform, an upper house will be formed within 30 working days in proportion to the number of votes received in the parliamentary election. Its term will be until the last working day of the lower house.

In accordance with the commitment to implement the July Charter, measures will be taken to include the July National Charter in the constitution. This has also been mentioned in the order approved today.

Dear countrymen,

It was a big challenge for us to take responsibility after the uprising and rescue the economy from a deep hole. We have been able to overcome that challenge in the last 15 months. The country is positive in all economic indicators including exports, foreign investment and reserves. The banking sector, which was looted, has already turned around, and people's confidence has returned. Various steps are underway to further strengthen the banking sector.

Although foreign investment from various countries decreased in the post-movement period, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Bangladesh increased by 19.13 percent in the first year after the popular uprising. This has set a unique economic example against the global trend.

Next week, a 30-year concession agreement is going to be signed with APM Terminals B.V., owned by the Denmark-based Maersk Group, in the Laldia Container Terminal project. Under this agreement, the European company will invest 550 million US dollars. This is the highest single investment by Europe in Bangladesh so far. Laldia will be the country's first world-class green port.

Dear countrymen,

Our people were deprived of voting rights for almost a decade and a half. They are looking forward to exercising their voting rights in the upcoming elections today. Regarding the holding of fair elections in February the political parties supporting the movement must remain united. Otherwise, the nation will face a great calamity. I have expressed my fears about this more than once before.

We, the living, should not tarnish the dignity of the unity that the countrymen built by standing tall in the face of death in July 2024 against fascism by engaging in petty disagreements and petty disputes.

We must honor the sacrifices of 133 children, hundreds of young people, men and women, and thousands of people who were maimed.

What the general public of the country wants is that we all show tolerance towards differences by paying respect to the memory of these countless casualties. Let us transcend party interests and elevate collective aspirations and national aspirations. Therefore, I hope that the political parties will accept our decision in the greater interest of the nation. The nation will move forward towards a festive national election. Through this, we will enter a new Bangladesh.

We are the new Bangladesh We have reached the threshold of creation.

May Allah Almighty help us. May Allah Almighty fulfill our hopes.

Allah Hafez

Thank you all