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Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Dr Hamidur Rahman Azad has accused the government of taking a narrow view of the opposition’s participation in the presidential election.
In a statement issued on Friday (August 21), Azad said the opposition parties took part in the election as a symbolic protest against limitations in the government’s reform process and as an effort to strengthen democratic practices.
He was responding to a government minister’s remarks that the opposition parties’ participation in the presidential election, while retaining Article 70 of the Constitution, had rendered their oath to the Constitutional Reform Council ineffective.
Azad questioned the logic, asking how their oath as members of parliament could remain valid if that argument were accepted, since no parliamentary election was held through a constitutional process in 2026.
He said the opposition had been fully aware of the likely outcome of the presidential election. Nevertheless, they participated to make their position clear to the public and strengthen demands for democracy.
According to Azad, the participation also helped people understand why constitutional reform is necessary to make Bangladesh’s democracy effective, accountable and sustainable.
He urged the government not to interpret the opposition’s participation narrowly but to recognise its democratic message.
Azad also called on the government to respect the people’s expectations by implementing the referendum verdict and taking effective steps towards necessary constitutional reforms.
