Referendum verdict: Bangladesh votes for ‘Yes’ on July Charter implementation. What does it mean?
Bangladesh election results 2026: Across 299 constituencies where the polling was held in Bangladesh, a total of 60.26% of votes were cast for the referendum verdict.
Bangladesh election results: A Bangladeshi Christian nun casts her vote in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (AP Photo)
Bangladesh election results 2026: In the 13th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh, the citizens voted for the implementation of the July Charter and more than 4.80 crore voters casted their ballots in favour of the sweeping constitutional reforms held alongside the general election.
Across 299 constituencies where the polling was held in Bangladesh, a total of 60.26% of votes were cast for the referendum verdict, and the results for referendum was announced on Friday at 2pm (local time) by the Senior Secretary of the Bangladesh Election Commission Akhtar Ahmed, Dhaka Tribune reported.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson Tarique Rahman waves as he comes out after casting his vote during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (AP Photo)
As per the official figures, 4,80,74,429 votes were cast in favour of “yes”, while 2,25,65,627 voters chose “no” in the referendum poll. On the ballot, a single question was placed before the voters which covered four issues and the citizens had to express their opinions by voting “Yes” or “No”.
The question on the referendum ballot read: “Do you express your consent to the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order, 2025 and to the following proposals regarding constitutional reforms recorded in the July National Charter?”
What does referendum include?
The proposed changes in the referendum include establishing a neutral interim government for the electoral period, restructuring the current parliament into a bicameral legislature, increasing women’s representation, strengthening judicial independence and introducing a two-term limit for the prime minister.
After a student-led protest against the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League in July 2024 which toppled the administration and forced Hasina to flee the country to India, an interim government under Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus took charge in August 2024 and pledged constitutional reforms across various sectors of the state.
In October 2024, the interim government formed a commission to make appropriate recommendations for constitutional reform, the electoral system, the judiciary, the Anti-Corruption Commission, and police and public administration reform.
After extensive debate and discussions, the 30 political parties of Bangladesh agreed and made a decision on 84 reform proposals which were incorporated in the July National Charter.
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Bangladesh election results: A Bangladeshi Christian nun casts her vote in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (AP Photo) 
