Bangladesh's NCP claims that the document prepared by the National Consensus Commission-- a seven-member umbrella body formed by the Yunus government in February-- lacks a legal basis.

Dhaka:

Several major political parties in Bangladesh will sign the much-discussed July National Charter 2025 on Friday, a document meant to form a consensus on the path to democratic renewal. But there are a few parties that will not support the document commissioned by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. Among them is the National Citizen Party (NCP), which emerged out of the violent moment last year that dethroned Sheikh Hasina after her 15 years of iron-grip rule.

NCP claims that the document prepared by the National Consensus Commission-- a seven-member umbrella body formed by the Yunus government in February-- lacks a legal basis. The party says backing the charter would be meaningless without ironing out key issues regarding its full implementation, such as the fate of reform proposals-- recommended by six reform commissions-- with notes of dissent and the question of a referendum to ensure their public endorsement.

The party doesn't seem to be budging despite the eleventh-hour intervention by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. "NCP believes that this signing ceremony will not provide any legal foundation. It will remain confined only to formality. NCP has repeatedly emphasised the necessity of legal legitimacy. Without ensuring a legal foundation, such an event will turn into yet another one-sided document like the ‘July Declaration,'" the party said in a statement.

It, however, indicated that it would sign the document later if its concerns were addressed.

The commission has said that political parties that do not sign the document on Friday can sign it later, as some left-leaning political parties have also announced that they will not sign the "July Charter', as they await a revised draft of the document.

The signing ceremony will take place at the South Plaza of the National Parliament building on Friday evening. 

"We call on all TV and online media to broadcast the July National Charter signing ceremony live. To every Bangladeshi — wherever you are, at home or on the move, in your shops, factories, fields, or playgrounds — tune in and be part of this historic moment! Despite our political, religious, or ethnic differences, we stand together as ONE UNITED NATION. This is our time to celebrate together — to feel the power of unity and to draw energy from this historic day of pride and hope!" Chief Adviser Yunus said in a post on X.

Cultural Affairs Adviser of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, touted the event as a "journey toward a festive election".

According to a report by Bangladesh Sangbad Sanstha (BSS), Farooki said two tasks will proceed simultaneously: "One is to demonstrate how the July Charter will change the nation's fate after its signing and to prepare communication materials, and the other is to ensure the journey toward a festive election."

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and the party's Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman have been invited for the July National Charter Signing ceremony in Dhaka.

The BNP was the main opposition party during Sheikh Hasina's regime in Bangladesh and is being seen as the frontrunner in the upcoming national elections in the country. While the BNP will sign the document, the party's acting chairperson, Tarique Rahman, won't be present in person at the ceremony. Khaleda Zia may skip the event due to health issues, local reports from Bangladesh said. 

The BNP has announced that it opposes any attempt to hold a referendum before the elections, which has been a demand from the Islamic hardline party, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, that a referendum should precede the election to give the 'July Charter' a legal backing.