BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has warned that any disruption to coumtry’s democratic process could open the door to the rise of a “dark horse,” potentially plunging the country into deeper political uncertainty.

Speaking to reporters at BNP’s central office in Nayapaltan on Wednesday, Rizvi expressed concern over what he described as efforts to derail the democratic journey by introducing alternative electoral models and spreading confusion among the public.

Without directly naming them, Rizvi pointed fingers at parties like Jamaat-e-Islami for advocating proportional representation (PR) and pushing for a referendum ahead of the national election.

He alleged that such efforts are part of a larger plan to mislead the nation and possibly sabotage the election process.

He dismissed the idea of PR as “unrealistic and misleading,” arguing that most developed democracies such as the United States and the United Kingdom elect representatives through direct voting systems.

“Why suddenly promote PR as the ideal model for democracy? These claims are unnecessary and confusing,” he said.

Referring to Japan, Rizvi pointed out that even in countries that use PR, it is not applied across the board.

“Japan applies PR to only 37 percent of its system. Globally, there are ongoing debates about the effectiveness of PR. It is not fully implemented anywhere,” he noted.

The BNP leader expressed concern that introducing discussions on PR so close to the national election would only add to voter confusion.

“Most people in Bangladesh are not familiar with PR system. Many do not understand how it works,” he said.

Rizvi also spoke about the proposed referendum on the July National Charter and the timing of the upcoming general election. He said holding both on the same day would be more practical and acceptable.
“Some parties are demanding that the referendum be held first, but if the election is scheduled for early or mid-February before Ramadan, it’s simply not feasible to hold a separate referendum earlier. It makes more sense to hold both simultaneously,” he said.

He stressed that both the referendum and the election require proper preparation and public engagement, which is difficult under the current timeline.

Touching on the broader political and economic situation, Rizvi said the country is facing increasing instability and the absence of an elected government is discouraging both domestic and foreign investment.
“Investment has almost dried up. If there were an elected government, investors would feel confident, jobs would be created and the economy would begin to recover,” he said.

He concluded by urging all pro-democracy forces to remain united to prevent the disruption of the democratic process and to ensure that power is handed over to elected representatives as soon as possible.