{"id":5715,"date":"2026-01-20T03:50:56","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T21:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/?p=5715"},"modified":"2026-01-20T03:50:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T21:50:57","slug":"how-yunus-regime-is-coercing-all-to-back-yes-vote-in-unconstitutional-referendum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/?p=5715","title":{"rendered":"How Yunus regime is coercing all to back &#8216;Yes&#8217; vote in unconstitutional referendum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amid widespread allegations of coercion and state-sponsored pressure, Bangladesh&#8217;s interim government is aggressively mobilising public servants, banks, insurance companies, NGOs, and even private businesses to campaign for a &#8220;Yes&#8221; vote in the February 12 referendum on the July National Charter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Critics warn that the exercise not only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nUofAjDeK9o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">violates <\/a>the neutrality expected of a caretaker administration but is fundamentally illegal and unconstitutional, with no provision for such a plebiscite in the existing 1972 Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The referendum&#8217;s legality and fairness remain deeply contested, raising serious questions about the interim government&#8217;s commitment to democratic principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u09ac\u09be\u0982\u09b2\u09be\u09a6\u09c7\u09b6\u09c7\u09b0 \u099c\u09a8\u0997\u09a3\u09c7\u09b0 \u0995\u09be\u099b\u09c7 \u0987\u0989\u09a8\u09c2\u09b8\u09c7\u09b0 \u0995\u09cd\u09b7\u09ae\u09be \u099a\u09be\u0993\u09df\u09be \u0989\u099a\u09bf\u09a4: \u09b6\u09c7\u0996 \u09b9\u09be\u09b8\u09bf\u09a8\u09be | Dr Yunus |\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nUofAjDeK9o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Chief Adviser&#8217;s Office, ministries, and field administration have issued directives\u2014including office orders\u2014requiring government offices from secretariat to union level to actively promote &#8220;Yes&#8221; votes, media reports say. Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus himself appealed in a January 19 televised address: \u201cThe key to building a new Bangladesh is now in your hands. Stamp \u2018Yes\u2019\u2026 Encourage everyone you know\u2026 Change the country.\u201d Government leaflets and verified social media posts list 11 supposed benefits of &#8220;Yes,&#8221; while ominously warning that &#8220;No&#8221; yields &#8220;nothing.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bank executives, speaking anonymously, revealed they feel compelled to comply out of fear of being labelled &#8220;fascist collaborators&#8221; or facing mob violence, vandalism, or worse. Talking to the media, one managing director of a state-owned bank admitted: &#8220;We are following government directives to avoid any risk to our lives and property.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/?p=5712\">RAB member killed in Sitakunda armed attack amid state-sponsored mobocracy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/?p=5708\">Betraying Democracy: Yunus-Jamaat clique\u2019s shameful push for rigged referendum<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/?p=5701\">Yunus\u2019 referendum is an ominous sign for Bangladesh, warns Masuda Bhatti<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A private bank GM echoed: &#8220;If we stay neutral or oppose, we could be branded fascists\u2014then anything can happen: mob attack, extortion, even loss of life.&#8221; Similar pressure is visible in markets, where traders hang &#8220;Yes&#8221; banners to protect their investments from potential reprisals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman cautioned that while the government may argue it has a mandate for reform, it must not impose its position on citizens. &#8220;The government&#8217;s role should be to inform people impartially about both &#8216;Yes&#8217; and &#8216;No&#8217; outcomes, not to pressure them,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Forcing banks, NGOs, or officials to campaign crosses a line.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Election Commission has offered a tepid response. Commissioner Abdur Rahman Mashud stated he sees no major issue with the government promoting its own proposal, adding: &#8220;If the government says it, it can say it.&#8221; He suggested other public bodies should remain silent. Another commissioner declined to comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Legal and political analysts argue that the referendum itself is extra-constitutional. The 1972 Constitution provides no mechanism for a direct plebiscite of this nature, and sweeping changes\u2014bundled into four questions that effectively demand approval of the entire 84-clause July Charter\u2014bypass the required two-thirds parliamentary approval for amendments. Critics describe the process as a one-sided imposition designed to retroactively legitimise the August 5, 2024, takeover and indemnify participants in July&#8217;s violent uprising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With state resources funding a relentless &#8220;Yes&#8221; drive while dissenting voices face intimidation, many fear the February 12 vote will not reflect genuine public will but rather manufactured consent under duress. As one anonymous official put it: &#8220;People are being forced to choose &#8216;Yes&#8217; to survive\u2014not because they believe in it.&#8221; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amid widespread allegations of coercion and state-sponsored pressure, Bangladesh&#8217;s interim government is aggressively mobilising public servants, banks, insurance companies, NGOs, and even private businesses to campaign for a &#8220;Yes&#8221; vote&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4099,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,1207,20,42],"tags":[77,46,50,71,54,65,56,85,1318,1428,64],"class_list":["post-5715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime","category-emergency","category-news","category-politics","tag-awami-league","tag-bnp","tag-interim-government","tag-islami-chhatra-shibir","tag-jamaat-e-islami","tag-mobocracy","tag-muhammad-yunus","tag-national-citizen-party-ncp","tag-referendum","tag-yes-vote","tag-yunus-gang"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5715"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5717,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5715\/revisions\/5717"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyrepublicbd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}