Kazi ASM Nurul Huda

Two years have passed since those transformative days of the July Uprising.

The government’s decision in April to channel public university research funding through the University Grants Commission (UGC) has since triggered an intense debate.

Bangladesh may be standing at a generational moment of constitutional possibility.

The 2026 referendum was neither a constitution-founding rupture nor a blank cheque for institutional reconstruction. It was a powerful but structured act of authorisation. The distinction matters because transitions succeed when authority is precisely interpreted and designated.

What is being decided is not only who will govern but whether the institutional settlement emerging from the uprising can acquire sufficient legitimacy to endure.

On February 12, 2026, alongside the 13th parliamentary election, Bangladesh will also hold a referendum on the implementation of reforms proposed in the July National Charter.

The promise of a "noya bondobosto" or new settlement carries an enormous political appeal.

Bangladesh is facing a crisis that extends far beyond the headlines. The show of violence unfolding in many parts of the country is not simply a failure of security.