Referendum before national election unnecessary: Mirza Fakhrul

 
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that holding a referendum before the next general election announced to be held on February next year is 'unnecessary, unreasonable and impractical'.

He came up with the remarks while speaking at a press conference at the BNP Chairperson's Gulshan office on Thursday.

Mirza Fakhrul said, "The BNP will never accept a referendum outside of election day. Considering the time, cost, and the massive logistical arrangements similar to an election, it is ill-considered."

"We agreed to the referendum only to give a legal basis to the implementation of the July National Charter. But we cannot agree with the other recommendations of the National Consensus Commission, as they ignored the issues where differences or notes of dissent existed and included matters that were never discussed during the long meetings," he said.

"This means the Consensus Commission's proposals and recommendations have been imposed on the nation in a one-sided way. It is now clear that the year-long discussions between the political parties, the Reform Commissions, and the National Consensus Commission were meaningless - just a waste of time, a mockery and a betrayal of the nation," he continued.

"Our stance on the election is also very clear. We trust the Chief Adviser's commitment to hold the national election in mid-February 2026, and we are continuing our election activities accordingly," the BNP leader said.

He said the party does not see any reason for the election to be disrupted. "We have no mistrust towards anyone regarding the election, and we are not worried about it. We want the election to be held promptly and hope it will take place as planned."

BNP Standing Committee members Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Salahuddin Ahmed, Selima Rahman and Hafizuddin Ahmed were present at the press conference.