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Published : 05 Apr 2026, 09:37 PM
The National Citizen Party (NCP) has sounded the alarm over what it describes as rising authoritarian tendencies in the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The NCP warned that unchecked consolidation of power and politicisation of key institutions could push the country toward an executive-dominated state.
At a press conference on Sunday, NCP leaders said the government’s selective handling of ordinances and controversial appointments signals a troubling drift from democracy.
NCP spokesperson Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain issued an ultimatum, warning that the party would launch a street movement if the government does not "come to its senses" by Apr 10.
"The BNP only wants to turn those ordinances into laws that increase the power of their government and the prime minister," said Asif, a former advisor to the interim government.
"They are cancelling ordinances related to accountability. We see all the symptoms of autocracy in these actions."
Asif alleged that the appointment of administrators to local government bodies is a clear violation of the Constitution, which mandates that such institutions be run by elected representatives.
He argued that keeping the power to remove elected officials at the executive's whim is a threat to democracy.
"We saw fascism during the previous government, and now we see the signs of autocracy," Asif said.
Appointing administrators is a familiar autocratic process, he said.
The NCP spokesperson warned that if the government does not honour the results of the recent referendum, it will be labelled an "illegal government".
"Ziaur Rahman's referendum was used to gain legitimacy and create a ‘King’s Party’ through state agencies. This latest referendum was for the structural reform of the state," Asif claimed.
Asif also expressed outrage over the expansion of electronic surveillance powers.
He noted that while the interim government limited eavesdropping powers to four agencies under legal oversight, the BNP is reportedly extending this authority to 18 or 19 agencies without accountability.
"In the past, we saw how privacy was violated, whether talking to family or friends, there was no privacy. Now, they are reverting to that system," he said.
NCP Joint Convenor Sarwar Tusher, who spoke earlier, accused the BNP of violating its election manifesto by politicising key institutions.
He pointed out the appointment of the BNP’s education secretary as the vice-chancellor of Dhaka University and the replacement of Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur with a person he described as a "prominent loan defaulter" and a member of the BNP's election management committee.
"They promised no partisan appointments, yet we see the opposite," Tusher said.
"By cancelling the referendum ordinance and appointing administrators, they are leading Bangladesh toward a parliamentary autocracy."
The NCP leaders urged the government to finalise the ordinances passed during the interim period into law and called on civil society members to resume the roles they played during the Awami League era.
