Dhaka, 18 September 2025:
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has renewed its call for the introduction of a proportional representation (PR) election system, warning that any election under the current framework would only reproduce authoritarian rule in a new form. The party has also proposed holding a nationwide plebiscite to determine whether the people want the PR system to replace the existing electoral model.
Speaking at a protest rally at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram Mosque on Thursday, Jamaat Secretary-General Mia Golam Parwar said that although the party has taken part in ongoing dialogues with other political forces, there is still no visible sign of progress. According to him, the government appears to be offering superficial promises under pressure without showing any real commitment to reform.
Parwar stressed that Jamaat’s movement is aimed at fulfilling the aspirations of the people and establishing a political system that ensures fairness and accountability. He insisted that unless the balance of power between the President and the Prime Minister is restructured and fundamental reforms are carried out ahead of the next election, the result would merely pave the way for “another form of fascism.”
The Jamaat leader said the party’s demands also include the implementation of the July Charter, the holding of free and credible elections under a reformed system, justice for violence and corruption, and restrictions on the activities of what he described as collaborators of authoritarian rule.
Alongside Jamaat, six other political parties held demonstrations in Dhaka—at Baitul Mukarram, the National Press Club, and Bijoynagar—pressing for similar reforms. Meanwhile, opposition quarters including the BNP have questioned the logic of staging protests while dialogue with the government is still underway.
