Friday, 24 October, 2025
Bangladesh’s political scene is heating up as Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus meets Jamaat-e-Islami leaders today, just a day after his high-stakes talks with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The key question on everyone’s mind: Will Jamaat contest the February 2026 election without the Proportional Representation (PR) system?
Tuesday, a three-member BNP delegation met Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna to discuss election preparations. According to the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing, Yunus assured the party that the interim government would “do whatever is necessary to ensure a peaceful and impartial election.”
He emphasised neutrality. All administrative reshuffles, he said, would be made under his direct supervision. Deputy commissioners and key officials will be appointed strictly on merit, he added, signaling that the interim government intends to stay above politics.
Behind this calm, the political tension is mounting. Jamaat-e-Islami, long sidelined, is pressing for a national referendum on PR. A four-member delegation led by Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher will push Yunus to ensure the issue is settled by public vote. They insist that if the referendum favours PR, all parties must implement it in future elections.
Analysts warn Jamaat’s move is strategic rather than reformist. With weak constituency support but a scattered national vote, the party could secure parliamentary seats through PR without winning direct contests. “It’s a survival tactic dressed as reform,” a political observer said.
The BNP has rejected PR outright, calling it “unconstitutional and politically motivated.” Party leaders warn it would break the bond between voters and their representatives. “This system alienates citizens from those they elect,” said one BNP policymaker. “It is being used to delay the election and manipulate representation.”
The National Citizens Party (NCP), led by Nahid Islam, echoed the warning. In a social media post, he called Jamaat’s campaign a “calculated act of deception” aimed at derailing the Consensus Commission’s reform process. “Jamaat has turned a noble reform idea into a political gimmick,” he wrote. “Their goal is manipulation, not reform. The people will not allow it.”
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the interim government must act “in the mode of a caretaker administration” to ensure free and credible polls. Fakhrul, along with Standing Committee members Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Salahuddin Ahmed, demanded the removal of partisan bureaucrats and police officers from the previous regime.
The delegation also expressed concern over recent nationwide fires, hinting at possible sabotage. They stressed that neutrality in administrative reshuffles and judicial appointments is critical to maintain public confidence.
What began as a technical debate over electoral reform has become a full-blown political battlefield. PR, widely used abroad, would allocate parliamentary seats based on national vote share rather than local contests. Critics warn it could empower party elites and weaken voter accountability, turning Parliament into a platform for patronage rather than representation.
Policy think tanks, including the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Institute of Governance Studies (IGS), and Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), have cautioned against rushing into PR or bicameral systems.
CPD researchers Dr Khandaker Golam Moazzem and Prof Nizam Ahmed said such reforms could paralyse governance in Bangladesh’s winner-takes-all political culture. They recommended strengthening the existing unicameral parliament through committees, financial transparency, and wider local and women’s representation.
For Chief Adviser Yunus, the PR issue is a delicate balancing act. If Jamaat boycotts the polls without PR, it could fracture the fragile consensus under the July National Charter 2025. But yielding to their demand risks alienating the BNP, NCP, and other reformist blocs.
As the election clock ticks toward February, the stakes are escalating. What started as a procedural debate has turned into a litmus test for Bangladesh’s democratic transition.
Whether Jamaat joins the race or sits it out, the coming weeks will decide not just who contests the polls, but whether the country’s fragile democratic path can survive another political reckoning.
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Bangladesh’s political scene is heating up as Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus meets Jamaat-e-Islami leaders today, just a day after his high-stakes talks with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The key question on everyone’s mind: Will Jamaat contest the February 2026 election without the Proportional Representation (PR) system?
Tuesday, a three-member BNP delegation met Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna to discuss election preparations. According to the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing, Yunus assured the party that the interim government would “do whatever is necessary to ensure a peaceful and impartial election.”
He emphasised neutrality. All administrative reshuffles, he said, would be made under his direct supervision. Deputy commissioners and key officials will be appointed strictly on merit, he added, signaling that the interim government intends to stay above politics.
Behind this calm, the political tension is mounting. Jamaat-e-Islami, long sidelined, is pressing for a national referendum on PR. A four-member delegation led by Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher will push Yunus to ensure the issue is settled by public vote. They insist that if the referendum favours PR, all parties must implement it in future elections.
Analysts warn Jamaat’s move is strategic rather than reformist. With weak constituency support but a scattered national vote, the party could secure parliamentary seats through PR without winning direct contests. “It’s a survival tactic dressed as reform,” a political observer said.
The BNP has rejected PR outright, calling it “unconstitutional and politically motivated.” Party leaders warn it would break the bond between voters and their representatives. “This system alienates citizens from those they elect,” said one BNP policymaker. “It is being used to delay the election and manipulate representation.”
The National Citizens Party (NCP), led by Nahid Islam, echoed the warning. In a social media post, he called Jamaat’s campaign a “calculated act of deception” aimed at derailing the Consensus Commission’s reform process. “Jamaat has turned a noble reform idea into a political gimmick,” he wrote. “Their goal is manipulation, not reform. The people will not allow it.”
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the interim government must act “in the mode of a caretaker administration” to ensure free and credible polls. Fakhrul, along with Standing Committee members Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Salahuddin Ahmed, demanded the removal of partisan bureaucrats and police officers from the previous regime.
The delegation also expressed concern over recent nationwide fires, hinting at possible sabotage. They stressed that neutrality in administrative reshuffles and judicial appointments is critical to maintain public confidence.
What began as a technical debate over electoral reform has become a full-blown political battlefield. PR, widely used abroad, would allocate parliamentary seats based on national vote share rather than local contests. Critics warn it could empower party elites and weaken voter accountability, turning Parliament into a platform for patronage rather than representation.
Policy think tanks, including the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Institute of Governance Studies (IGS), and Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), have cautioned against rushing into PR or bicameral systems.
CPD researchers Dr Khandaker Golam Moazzem and Prof Nizam Ahmed said such reforms could paralyse governance in Bangladesh’s winner-takes-all political culture. They recommended strengthening the existing unicameral parliament through committees, financial transparency, and wider local and women’s representation.
For Chief Adviser Yunus, the PR issue is a delicate balancing act. If Jamaat boycotts the polls without PR, it could fracture the fragile consensus under the July National Charter 2025. But yielding to their demand risks alienating the BNP, NCP, and other reformist blocs.
As the election clock ticks toward February, the stakes are escalating. What started as a procedural debate has turned into a litmus test for Bangladesh’s democratic transition.
Whether Jamaat joins the race or sits it out, the coming weeks will decide not just who contests the polls, but whether the country’s fragile democratic path can survive another political reckoning.
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