Moreover, under the current system, it is not easy to make fundamental amendments to the constitution; such changes require the support of two-thirds of the members of parliament. The new proposal, however, requires approval from a majority of the upper house, meaning that the constitution could be amended with the support of just over half of its members. From the referendum question, it appears that the new proposal would make constitutional amendments easier than before. Since the ruling party will likely hold a majority in the upper house as well, questions arise about whether its members will be able to take decisions independently of party positions. There is also uncertainty about whether, using its numerical strength, the upper house could alter other provisions of the ‘July National Charter,’ such as electing the deputy speaker and parliamentary committee heads from the opposition, or limiting the prime minister’s term of office.

The last referendum in Bangladesh on the system of government was held in September 1991. At that time, the referendum question was: “Should the President give consent to the Constitution (Twelfth Amendment) Bill, 1991 of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh?” Only 35 per cent of registered voters participated in that referendum. Yet, just a few months earlier, more than 55 per cent of voters had cast ballots in the fifth parliamentary election held in February. As this time the referendum will take place alongside the national election, voter turnout is expected to be much higher. Even so, because of linguistic and conceptual ambiguity, citizens may feel compelled to abstain from voting or rely solely on the stance of political parties. Although the wording of the earlier referendum question was also complex, ordinary people did not struggle to decide since the major political parties expressed a unified position.