The Election Commission must mobilise voters for the success of the referendum which is scheduled for February 12 simultaneously with the 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections, speakers said at a roundtable on Wednesday.

Civil society platform Citizens for Good Governance-Shujan organised the roundtable at the CIRDAP auditorium in the capital Dhaka.

The speakers at the roundtable also warned that fascism would return if ‘No’  wins in the referendum involving reforms proposed for different areas.

Saying that major political parties appeared silent about the referendum, retired Brigadier General M Sakhawat Hussain, interim government adviser to the shipping and labour ministries, urged the Election Commission to mobilise voters for the referendum.

Sakhawat was the chief guest at the roundtable.

‘Do not focus only on voting. Try to explain to the voters how the referendum will work, and seek assistance from the NGOs, if necessary,’ the adviser urged the Election Commission.

Explaining the importance of ‘Yes’ win in the referendum for the implementation of the July National Charter 2025-based reforms, he said, ‘If we don’t desire fascism, reforms should be implemented through the consent of voters.’

The roundtable began with the keynote presentation by Shujan chief executive Badiul Alam Majumder.

Badiul served as the chief of the Electoral Reform Commission and a member of the National Consensus Commission which prepared the July National Charter 2025 after the fall of the authoritarian Awami League regime on August 5, 2024, in the wake of a mass uprising.

In his presentation, Badiul explained the context of the referendum, saying that political parties were committed to implementing the July Charter.

‘There is no scope for selectively implementing parts of the charter. Parties must clearly state whether they support a “Yes” or a “No” vote,’ Badiul said.

Special assistant to the chief adviser, Monir Haidar, said that the July Charter was the framework for preventing the return of fascism.

‘If it is not approved and implemented in national life, fascism will return again,’ he warned.

Taking part in the discussion, film director Kazi Hayat suggested that political parties must engage in bringing marginalised voters to the polling booths and make the referendum a success.

District-level representatives of Shujan and various other citizen organisations also took part in the roundtable chaired by Shujan vice-president MA Matin, a former justice.