2026 Bangladeshi constitutional referendum

On 13 November 2025, the President of Bangladesh, Mohammed Shahabuddin issued the "July National Charter (Constitutional Amendment) Implementation Order, 2025" to implement the July Charter, which effectively gave the Bangladesh Election Commission authorization to organize a referendum and make the necessary legal arrangements. This order provides for a national referendum in which voters will approve or reject the proposed reforms, including the establishment of a caretaker government and an independent election commission, the introduction of a bicameral parliament, term limits for the prime minister, enhanced presidential powers and judicial independence, and increased women’s representation in parliament. If approved, a "Constitution Reform Council" composed of all newly elected members of parliament will be formed to complete the constitutional amendments within 180 working days from the date of commencement of its first session, upon which the Council shall be dissolved. While certain provisions of the order take effect immediately, others will be implemented only upon a positive referendum result, with the election commission responsible for organizing the vote and facilitating the legal process to formally incorporate the July Charter into the Constitution of Bangladesh. == Question ==

The referendum question outlines various reforms suggested by the Reform Commissions of Bangladesh. The ballot for the referendum reads as follows: ==Proposed reforms==

briefing the results of the Referendum and National Parliament Election 2026. == Controversy ==

The Business Standard reported some statistical and reporting anomalies in the referendum. Figures included impossible numbers such as a 244.3% turnout in Rajshahi-4 which included 612,229 votes for "No" and 145,382 for "Yes" against 319,909 registered voters, vote counts in areas of Netrokona which exceeded the number of registered voters, and discrepancies between the referendum and the parallel parliamentary elections in Sirajganj-1. However, press secretary Shafiqul Alam stated that when asked about the news that 200% of the votes were cast in a centre in the election, he said, {{Blockquote|This is false journalism. It is basically a mistake due to currency. Whoever reported such news did so without talking to the returning officer. It was later corrected. ==See also==