National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam has said holding a referendum before or on election day would be acceptable, as the party supports the first draft of the order to implement the July Charter.

Speaking to reporters at the party’s Banglamotor office on Saturday, Nahid said it would be preferable if the referendum takes place before the election, but it could also be held on election day depending on the government’s capacity.

He said the NCP endorses the first draft—Proposal 1—of the July National Charter implementation order, which states that the charter will be placed in a referendum as a bill and that the next parliament must pass it if approved by the people.

Criticising the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, Nahid accused the two parties of “creating unnecessary debate” over the timing of the referendum to divert attention from the core issues of the July Charter.

The NCP convener further said the order to implement the July Charter should come from Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, not from the President’s Office, arguing that if it originates from the latter, the Charter would lose its legitimacy.