The Election Commission of Bangladesh has issued a revised gazette significantly reducing the officially declared vote totals from the recent national referendum held to validate proposed constitutional reforms under the “July National Charter”. The updated figures indicate that both ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ votes have declined compared to the первоначally published results.
The revised notification was released on Thursday (26 February) through an additional gazette signed by Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed. According to the Commission, the amendment follows a review of data from the referendum conducted on 12 February, which aimed to secure public approval for constitutional reforms emerging from the mass uprising of July–August 2024.
The referendum was held under the framework of the “July National Charter (Constitutional Reform Implementation Order), 2025”. Itsresult, first published in a gazette on 13 February, were presented as a decisive expression of popular sovereignty following the political movement.
According to the original gazette, ‘Yes’ votes stood at 48,200,660, while ‘No’ votes were recorded at 22,071,726. The total number of votes cast was 77,695,023. Of these, 7,422,637 ballots were declared invalid, leaving 70,272,386 valid votes.
However, the revised gazette presents lower figures. ‘Yes’ votes have been reduced to 47,225,980, while ‘No’ votes now stand at 21,960,231. The total number of votes cast has been adjusted to 76,621,407. Meanwhile, invalid ballots have slightly increased to 7,435,196, resulting in a revised valid vote count of 69,186,211.
Comparative Breakdown of Results
| Category | Original Gazette | Revised Gazette | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes Votes | 48,200,660 | 47,225,980 | -974,680 |
| No Votes | 22,071,726 | 21,960,231 | -111,495 |
| Total Votes Cast | 77,695,023 | 76,621,407 | -1,073,616 |
| Invalid Votes | 7,422,637 | 7,435,196 | +12,559 |
| Valid Votes | 70,272,386 | 69,186,211 | -1,086,175 |
Analysis of the revised figures shows that ‘Yes’ votes experienced the largest decline, falling by 974,680. ‘No’ votes also decreased, though by a smaller margin of 111,495. Overall turnout dropped by more than one million votes. In contrast, the number of invalid ballots rose slightly, suggesting either stricter scrutiny or reclassification during the review process.
Despite the scale of these adjustments, the Election Commission has not provided a detailed explanation for the discrepancies between the initial and revised figures. It stated only that the updated gazette was published “by order of the Commission”, without clarifying whether the revision resulted from technical errors, administrative verification, or other factors.
The referendum is widely regarded as a crucial step in formalising the constitutional legitimacy of the July National Charter. As such, the revised figures carry significant political and institutional implications for Bangladesh.
Observers note that while the overall outcome—favouring the ‘Yes’ vote—remains unchanged, the on a large scale reduction in vote counts may raise concerns about transparency, data accuracy, and public trust in the electoral process. Ensuring clarity and accountability in such important national exercises will be essential as the country moves forward with its constitutional reform agenda.