In an important address to the nation today, Thursday (13 November 2025), the Honorable Chief Adviser to the Interim Government announced that the “July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order 2025” has been approved by the Advisory Council and has already reached the stage of gazette publication. He said that the Interim Government formed on the strength of the July mass uprising is working on the responsibility of trying the massacres, completing the desired reforms and handing over power to the elected government. The government is now in the final stages of implementing those three responsibilities.
The Chief Adviser said that the trial of the massacres committed during the July mass uprising is progressing rapidly. The International Crimes Tribunal will soon announce its first verdict and the trial of several cases is in the final stages. At the same time, the trial of atrocious crimes like disappearances has also begun, which is the first in the history of the country.
Regarding the progress of reforms, he said that various important reforms have been completed in the areas of independence of the judiciary, transparency in the financial sector, increasing institutional capacity, digitalization and preventing corruption. According to him, these reforms will create the foundation for good governance in the country in the future and he expressed hope that the next elected government will discuss and adopt them in parliament.
The Chief Advisor further said that the national elections will be held in the first half of February and a referendum on the implementation of the July Charter will also be organized on the same day. In the referendum, the people will have to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on four important issues through a question. These include – restructuring of the caretaker government and constitutional institutions, formation of a bicameral parliament, increasing women’s representation and determining the term limit of the Prime Minister, independence of the judiciary and implementation of other reforms mentioned in the July Charter.
He said that if the ‘yes’ vote is more in the referendum, a Constitution Reform Council will be formed with elected members of parliament, which will complete the reform activities within 180 working days. Later, the upper house will be formed in proportion to the votes received in the parliament, whose term will last until the lower house’s term.
Referring to the role of the National Consensus Commission, the chief advisor said, “The consensus that the commission has built through continuous dialogue with political parties over the past nine months is a milestone in the political history of Bangladesh.” He said that consensus has been created among political parties on 30 proposals for amending the constitution, which he referred to as “a historic achievement.”
Referring to the progress of the economy, the chief advisor said that rescuing the economy from a deep crisis in the post-coup period was a big challenge. In the last 15 months, the government has been able to bring positive changes in all indicators including exports, investment and reserves. The banking sector has recovered, people’s confidence has returned. He also said that next week, a US $ 550 million investment agreement will be signed with APM Terminals B.V., owned by the Denmark-based Maersk Group, for the Laldia Container Terminal project, which is the highest single investment in Europe in the history of Bangladesh.
In the concluding part of his speech, the Chief Advisor called on political parties to maintain unity in the upcoming elections. He said, “Let us not waste the unity and sacrifice through which fascism was defeated in July 2024 on petty disputes. Let us fulfill the promise of building a new Bangladesh by paying tribute to the sacrifices of 133 children and hundreds of young people.”
He expressed hope that the nation would soon enter a new Bangladesh through a festive election and referendum.
