Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has reiterated its demand for a free, fair, and impartial national election, rejecting what it described as a “selection process” in place of genuine democracy. Speaking at a rally in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area on Wednesday, Jamaat-e-Islami's Nayeb-e-Ameer and former MP Dr. Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher accused the government of failing to deliver on its promises of state reform and justice for past atrocities following the July mass uprising.

“Jamaat-e-Islami wants election, not selection, and will not accept any selection,” Dr. Taher declared. He noted that only one political party has welcomed the government’s recently announced election roadmap, while other pro-democracy forces have rejected it due to the absence of meaningful reforms, justice for mass killings, and a level playing field.

“In 54 years of independence, this country has never witnessed a truly free and fair election,” he said, adding that the interim government had pledged to reform the state but has instead “sat in unclean, unreformed chairs” and forgotten its commitments.

The rally, organized by Dhaka City North and South Jamaat-e-Islami, demanded legal recognition of the July Declaration and July Charter, along with proportional representation (PR) system in the next national election.

Dr. Taher cited a Citizens for Good Governance (SUJAN) survey showing that 71 percent of the population supports the PR system. “Democracy means accepting the will of the majority,” he stressed, accusing one political party of opposing PR despite knowing it would prevent vote rigging and block “the establishment of fascism.”

He also questioned why some parties insisting they would implement reforms after coming to power are now objecting to reforms beforehand, suggesting this reveals an intention to hold a farcical election “like those under Sheikh Hasina.”

Assistant Secretary General Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan said that despite the Home Affairs Advisor declaring readiness for elections, the current environment is not conducive. He condemned recent threats made by a political adviser to a party chief, warning voters against choosing Jamaat’s election symbol, the scale, and questioned why no legal action had been taken against him.

Dhaka City South Ameer Nurul Islam Bulbul, who presided over the rally, apologized to city residents for traffic disruptions, saying the inconvenience was “for the future of the nation.” He challenged the interim government’s claim that it lacks constitutional authority to legalize the July Declaration: “If so, under what authority are you governing?” He urged the government to hold a referendum on the issue, calling the PR system “a demand for valuing every citizen’s voice, not just Jamaat’s political demand.”

Other speakers included Assistant Secretary General Maulana Abdul Halim, Dhaka City North Ameer Mohammad Selim Uddin, and Central Executive Committee Member Mobarak Hossain.

The rally concluded with a massive protest march from Bijoynagar to Kakrail Nightingale crossing, ending near the Chief Justice’s residence. Leaders and activists from various levels of the party took part in that procession.