The youth-led National Citizen Party (NCP) on Friday unveiled its 36-point election manifesto ahead of the 13th parliamentary election, pledging to build a non-discriminatory, accountable, and modern Bangladesh.

The manifesto, titled “Manifesto of Youth and Dignity,” was launched at a hotel in Gulshan, Dhaka, under the slogan “Bangladesh through a new lens,” in the presence of party leaders, supporters, members of the media, and representatives from several political parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.

NCP Convener Nahid Islam attended the program as chief guest, while party spokesperson and Central Election Management Committee Chairman Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain was present as special guest.

Spanning 86 pages across 12 chapters, the manifesto addresses governance, human rights, economic restructuring, education, healthcare, environmental protection, women’s empowerment, employment, expatriate welfare, foreign policy, and national security. A central theme is reform and accountability.

The NCP pledged to form an independent commission to oversee the implementation of the July National Charter, which requires legislative and administrative changes. The party also promised justice for killings and alleged crimes against humanity, including those during the July 2024 uprising, the Shapla Chattar incident, the 2009 BDR massacre at Peelkhana, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission would be established as part of this process.

On economic policy, the NCP proposed setting a national minimum wage of Tk100 per hour, reducing tax pressure on low- and middle-income groups, and raising the tax-to-GDP ratio to 12% by curbing tax evasion. The party also pledged a gradual transition toward a cashless economy and announced plans to create 10 million “decent jobs” within five years, with special emphasis on small and medium enterprises as well as women and youth entrepreneurs. A Tk10,000 crore entrepreneurship fund will support businesses through cash-flow-based financing, and government-regulated program aim to prepare 1.5 million skilled migrant workers annually.

In governance and transparency, the manifesto promises to publicly disclose the income and asset statements of ministers, members of parliament, elected representatives, and senior officials through a digital platform named “Hisaab Dao.” Civil service reforms include performance-based promotions through an independent commission, lateral entry, inflation-adjusted pay scales, and bringing imams, muazzins, and khadims under the national salary structure.

To strengthen women’s participation, the NCP proposes 100 directly elected reserved seats for women in the lower house, alongside paid maternity and paternity leave, workplace daycare facilities, and decentralized distribution of women’s health products.

Environmental commitments include shutting down polluting brick kilns, enforcing mandatory effluent treatment plants in industries, generating 25% of electricity from renewable sources within five years, and transitioning government vehicle procurement to electric vehicles.

In foreign policy, the NCP pledged to take a firm stance on unresolved issues with India, including border killings and water-sharing disputes, while reiterating commitment to a humanitarian solution to the Rohingya crisis.

On defense, the party promised to significantly expand Bangladesh’s defense capabilities, proposing a reserve force twice the size of the conventional armed forces, forming a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) brigade within five years, and acquiring at least eight medium-range surface-to-air missile batteries.

Formed in February last year following the student-led mass uprising that toppled the Awami League government in August 2024, the NCP described its manifesto as a roadmap for building a youth-driven, accountable, and dignified Bangladesh through institutional reform and democratic renewal.

NCP’s 36-point election manifesto

1. Form an independent commission to set timelines and accountability mechanisms for implementing provisions of the July Charter that depend on laws and executive orders.
2. Ensure exemplary trials for all crimes against humanity committed during the period of Awami fascism, including the July massacre, the Shapla Chattar massacre, BDR killings, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings. Establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
3. Create a special independent investigation cell under the Human Rights Commission to prevent religious hatred, communalism, persecution of minorities, and all forms of ethnic or identity-based discrimination.
4. Publish annual income and asset declarations of ministers, MPs, all public representatives, and senior government officials, along with detailed public expenditure records, on a publicly accessible Accountability Portal.
5. Expand lateral entry in the civil service, ensure performance-based promotions via an independent promotion commission, and revise pay scales every three years, covering imams, muezzins, and khatibs.
6. Use the National ID (NID) card as the primary instrument for accessing all citizen services, eliminating complexities of multiple cards.
7. Set a national minimum wage of Tk 100 per hour, ensure mandatory workplace safety insurance and pensions, and strictly enforce labor laws.
8. Enable Smart Family Card beneficiaries to collect goods from registered nearby grocery stores instead of waiting in queues beside trucks.
9. Introduce a structured house rent framework and develop social housing projects through public-private partnerships or waqf sukuk-based financing.
10. Reduce taxes for the poor and middle class while increasing the tax-to-GDP ratio to 12%, expand investment in education and health by preventing tax evasion, and promote a cashless economy.
11. Pursue Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPA) to plan the transition from LDC status. Enforce strict laws against willful loan defaulters, include them in a central database, and revoke political rights.
12. Eliminate extortion entirely and reduce political costs of doing business to zero. Introduce a hotline similar to 999, with a zero-tolerance policy.
13. Reduce inflation to 6%, ensure full independence of regulatory institutions, and introduce school-based financial education to protect public savings.
14. Lower the voting age to 16 years and establish a Youth Civic Council to institutionalize youth participation in policymaking.
15. Create 10 million jobs within five years and set up a Tk10,000 crore fund for women and youth entrepreneurs, offering tax exemptions for the first five years.
16. Provide government-regulated placement services and language training to develop 1.5 million safe and skilled migrant workers annually.
17. Form an Education Reform Commission to integrate different streams of education, introduce a separate pay scale for teachers, and nationalize 75% of MPO-enlisted institutions within five years.
18. Require a mandatory six-month full-time internship or thesis research at the undergraduate level to strengthen the link between higher education and employment.
19. Fund programs to encourage expatriate researchers to return and establish a National Computing Server for computational research.
20. Establish specialized healthcare zones in the northern and southern regions to treat complex diseases, including heart conditions, cancer, and trauma.
21. Ensure GPS-tracked national ambulance services and emergency paramedic teams in remote areas; equip every district hospital with ICU and CCU facilities.
22. Develop an NID-based digital health record system and gradually enroll all citizens under a National Health Insurance scheme.
23. Introduce direct elections for 100 reserved seats in the lower house of Parliament.
24. Implement six months of fully paid maternity leave and one month of paternity leave. Provide optional period leave and daycare facilities in government workplaces.
25. Supply women-friendly health and sanitary products directly to educational institutions and health centers at the upazila level.
26. Create a One-Stop Digital Portal for expatriates to access passport, NID, and consular services from a single platform.
27. Introduce investment and pension benefits for remittances, along with travel reward points named “RemitMiles” for remittance senders.
28. Ensure education, healthcare, employment, and social protection for persons with disabilities and indigenous communities.
29. Develop integrated public transport systems in Dhaka and Chittagong, and expand freight train services to reduce road congestion.
30. Generate 25% of electricity from renewable sources within five years and ensure 40% of government procurement vehicles are electric.
31. Make Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) mandatory in industries and enforce a zero-tolerance policy against illegal occupation of rivers and canals.
32. Transfer agricultural subsidies directly to farmers via NID verification and establish multipurpose cold storage facilities.
33. Strengthen domestic seed research and preservation capacity, and impose strict penalties on food adulterators.
34. Pursue strong diplomatic efforts to stop border killings and secure Bangladesh’s fair share of transboundary water resources, seeking support from international courts and organizations if necessary.
35. Focus on achieving a humanitarian solution to the Rohingya crisis and strengthen relations with ASEAN member states.
36. Create a reserve force double the size of the regular armed forces and add UAV (drone) brigades and surface-to-air missile systems to the army.