‘July Charter’ to be signed Friday in festive ceremony

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday reaffirmed that the upcoming 13th parliamentary election will be held on schedule in February 2026, quelling speculation of any delay.

Speaking at an emergency meeting with political parties on the implementation of the July Charter of National Consensus, Yunus announced that the landmark document-hailed as a roadmap for democratic restoration-will be formally signed on Friday at a celebratory event in Dhaka.

“We will go there joyfully on Friday and sign the document,” Yunus said at the Foreign Service Academy. “This event is meant to share the collective hope you have all expressed with the nation. It must reach every citizen, so that people understand what we have achieved together.”

Calling the July Charter the “outcome of months-long dialogue and compromise,” Yunus praised the political leaders who took part in the extended negotiations under the National Consensus Commission. “You have turned the impossible into reality,” he said. “What you have accomplished is not just historic for Bangladesh, but a milestone in the political history of the world. You have discussed difficult issues and reached agreement through sincerity and cooperation.”

The Chief Adviser said the charter’s provisions-shaped by six reform commissions and dozens of political parties-would serve as a national blueprint for democratic recovery. Copies of the document, he added, would be circulated across the country.

“The texts you have created will not disappear,” Yunus said. “We will make sure every citizen has access to them. Consensus is one thing, but spreading its spirit among the people is another-that is our duty as the government.”

He also announced plans to archive and publish the deliberations that led to the charter, through both printed and digital formats. “These discussions are our national assets,” he said. “We will ensure they are shared widely, including on social media and in schools, so that future generations remember why and how this unity was achieved.”

Yunus emphasized that the charter’s signing marks not an ending but “the beginning of many new chapters.”
“It must enter public consciousness-through education, civic discussion, and culture,” he said. “Only then will the spirit of reform be sustained.”