The National Citizen Party has decided to push ahead with its demand for a Constituent Assembly election to draft a new constitution, declaring it the party鈥檚 official political line.
The decision was taken during a two-day general meeting held on Wednesday and Thursday at the party鈥檚 temporary central office in Banglamotor, Dhaka, attended by around 150 leaders of the organisation.
According to the meeting sources, the party leaders debated why the current constitution was no longer viable and why a new one was necessary.
The NCP decided to launch nationwide programmes and political workshops to mobilise support for its demand, presenting the Constituent Assembly election as the only path to restoring political legitimacy and rewriting the constitution.
They agreed unanimously that the party鈥檚 core demand would be for a Constituent Assembly election 鈥� which could take the form of a parliamentary election but with the mandate to rewrite the constitution.
NCP leaders argued that the current government had no legitimacy to call an election under the existing framework.
They discussed that the July Charter 鈥� an agreement reached among political parties 鈥� should serve as the basis for any new electoral process.
The party meeting also discussed that after political parties sign the agreement, the president should issue a legal framework ordinance to formalise consensus and pave the way for a Constituent Assembly election, ideally by January or February.
The meeting discussed that without such an election, NCP would not take part in the polls, warning that a unilateral arrangement between the government and the BNP would risk repeating the political unrest of 2024.
Alongside the constitutional debate, the meeting reviewed the July march across the country, assessed organisational discipline, and discussed the need for consistent public messaging from all leaders.
A draft set of internal discipline guidelines was presented at the meeting and it would be circulated to the general body for feedback before final approval.
At least three leaders of the NCP said that political case studies were discussed during the meeting, including why the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal and the Freedom Party failed in Bangladesh.
According to the leaders, the meeting also examined the history of the democratic movement in Chile, the experience of the Cuban Revolution, and the role of Che Guevara.
Leaders agreed to avoid being perceived as extreme, aiming instead for a strategic and balanced approach.
The meeting also addressed controversy over a recent tour to Cox鈥檚 Bazar by some party leaders.
Meeting sources said that the leaders expressed regret, admitting that the timing was ill-judged and had been misinterpreted, while stressing that such matters should be handled internally rather than through the media or social media.
