A constitutional referendum took place in Bangladesh on 12 February 2026, alongside the general election. Voters were asked about the provisions of the July Charter and related amendments to the Constitution of Bangladesh. "July National Charter (Constitutional Amendment) Implementation Order, 2025" were issued for this purpose.

The referendum propounds reforms to countervail among state institutions — the legislature, executive, and judiciary and improve accountability in governance. If the referendum is passed, the newly elected parliament will act as a constituent assembly to enact the changes in the constitution agreed in the charter.

The "Yes" vote passed in the referendum, with 68% votes in favor on a turnout of 60%. The "Yes" vote does not, by itself, change the Constitution; it is a mandate to change the Constitution. It is considered politically binding, not legally binding.

On 26 February 2026, Bangladesh Election Commission revised referendum results and published a corrected gazette notification.

Background

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

Position PartiesPositionNotesInterim governmentChief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has called the voters to cast a yes vote. State institutions have also campaigned for the yes vote.11 Party AllianceThe alliance is campaigning for a yes vote to a position in favor of necessary reforms, a system to strengthen the state and democracy, establishing people's rights, moving forward on the path of good governance, to provide necessary reforms in the state structure, establish justice, protect democratic rights for voters, an opportunity for people to express their opinions and it will pave the way for positive changes in the country's governance.Bangladesh Nationalist PartyParty Chairman Tarique Rahman urged his supporters to vote "yes" in the referendum during a campaign event in Rangpur. Secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also confirmed his party's support for the yes vote. Although there have been reports of local party leaders campaigning for a "no" vote in the referendum.Democratic United FrontDUF described the process as undemocratic and unconstitutional, but has not yet campaigned for a no vote.Jatiya PartyParty chairman GM Quader has called the voters to cast a no vote. He claimed that the whole process was undemocratic and unconstitutional.

Opinion polls +Vote share projectionsPollingagencyFieldworkdatesDatepublishedSamplesize Yes NoUndecided"Don't know"Lead (pp)IILD21 Jan — 5 February 20269 February 202663,61589.6%9.1%1.3%80.5EASD18 — 31 January 20269 February 202641,50047.8%26.8%11.1%10.9%21Innovision Consulting16 — 27 January 202630 January 20265,14759.5%6.8%11.7%22%52.7

Results

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 that 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,

See also 1977 Bangladeshi presidential confidence referendum 1985 Bangladeshi military rule referendum 1991 Bangladeshi constitutional referendum 2026 Bangladeshi general election

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