Ahead of the national elections, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Central Assistant Secretary General, ATM Masum, has demanded that a referendum be held before the national election, stating, “First the referendum, then the national election—otherwise, there will be no election.”
He made these remarks on Friday (November 14) as the chief guest at a rally held at the municipal market in Noakhali. After the rally, a protest procession began from the market and toured the main roads of the town.
ATM Masum said, “Based on the July Accord, the people of Bangladesh are committed to ensuring free, fair, and neutral elections in the future. We have demanded that this accord be adopted as a principle and granted constitutional status through a referendum.”
He also commented on the interference from vested interests, saying, “When we started this movement, some parties were saying these issues should be resolved through discussions, not protests. After yesterday’s statement from the Chief Advisor, do you now understand the legitimacy of our movement? We had already suspected that there are some vested interests around the Chief Advisor who, in the past, have prevented the country from following the right path and will continue to do so in the future.”
He further explained, “Realizing this conspiracy, we began our movement based on a five-point demand. Several other Islamic parties joined us in this protest. Our five demands are: ensuring the legal basis of the July Accord and granting it constitutional status, ensuring a level playing field in the upcoming election, ensuring justice for past autocrats, and empowering the Election Commission with independence to prevent any future autocrat. These demands are not just ours—70% of the country’s population supports them.”