No legal bar for Govt pfficials to campaign for referendum: Ali Riaz

Professor Ali Riaz, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser and Chief Coordinator for Referendum Publicity, stated that there are no legal restrictions preventing government officials from campaigning for the “Yes” vote in the upcoming referendum. Speaking at a divisional exchange meeting in Sylhet, he clarified that neither the Constitution nor the “July National Charter Implementation Order 2025” prohibits public servants from supporting positive state reforms.

Addressing critics of the interim government’s role, Professor Riaz emphasized that this administration is not a traditional “caretaker government” but one born out of the July mass uprising with a mandate for reform, justice, and elections. He rejected claims that citizens would find the referendum too complex, calling such arguments an insult to the people’s political consciousness.

Riaz further highlighted that out of 48 global referendums held between 1972 and 2024, most involved active government campaigning for a “Yes” vote. The primary goal of this referendum, he noted, is to end the era of absolute executive power and ensure a transparent, accountable state structure as envisioned by the martyrs of the July revolution.