Article 1 Bangladesh as a unitary republic
The Republic
The unitary structure means national laws, courts and taxes apply in the same way everywhere in the country. For a business or investor, there is a single legal system and a single set of national regulators to deal with.
Article 1 declares Bangladesh an independent, sovereign republic called the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The name appears on every passport, treaty and official document, and no foreign power has authority over the state. Bangladesh joins treaties and international bodies as an equal member.
Because the state is unitary, a single Parliament makes laws for every district. There are no provincial legislatures. Local councils exercise only the powers that Parliament gives them by law, so their authority can be widened or narrowed by statute.
In the Eighth Amendment case of 1989, the Appellate Division struck down permanent High Court benches outside Dhaka. The majority treated the unitary character of the Republic and a single Supreme Court as part of the Constitution's basic structure.
In plain English
How Article 1 works
Article 1 says what kind of state Bangladesh is. It is a republic, which means it has an elected head of state rather than a monarch. It is independent and sovereign, so no other country has authority over it. It is unitary, which means there is one central government and one Parliament for the whole country, with no provinces or federal states holding their own constitutional powers. Local councils exist, but their powers come from laws made by Parliament. The article also fixes the official name of the country: the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
In practice
Article 1 is rarely litigated on its own, but it shapes the whole system. The Eighth Amendment case (1989) used the unitary character of the state, with the single Supreme Court, to strike down permanent High Court benches outside Dhaka. Local government bodies such as union parishads and city corporations exist under Articles 59 and 60 and Acts of Parliament, not as separate centres of sovereignty. The July National Charter debate after 2024 included proposals on decentralisation and a second chamber of Parliament, but these are pending proposals and would not by themselves end the unitary form.
The text
What Article 1 says
1. Bangladesh is a unitary, independent, sovereign Republic to be known as the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
English text as published on the official Laws of Bangladesh website. Where a court has changed the position, the status note above explains it.
Landmark cases
How the courts have read it
Appellate Division · 1989
Anwar Hossain Chowdhury v Bangladesh (Eighth Amendment case)
41 DLR (AD) 165; 1989 BLD (Spl) 1
Struck down the amendment creating permanent High Court benches outside Dhaka; the unitary state and one Supreme Court were treated as basic features.
Case summaries are short descriptions for orientation, not a substitute for the judgment.
Connected provisions
Related articles
Questions
Article 1: frequently asked questions
What is Article 1 of the Constitution of Bangladesh?
Article 1 declares that Bangladesh is a unitary, independent, sovereign Republic known as the People's Republic of Bangladesh. It fixes the country's name and its form of state, with one central government and one Parliament.
Is Bangladesh a federal or unitary state?
Bangladesh is a unitary state under Article 1. There are no provinces with their own constitutions or legislatures. Divisions, districts and local councils are administrative units whose powers come from laws passed by Parliament, which can change them.
Sources
- bdlaws: The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Article 1
- Ridwanul Hoque, Indian Journal of Constitutional Law, vol 10 (2021)
- Supreme Court of Bangladesh: 19 SCOB [2024] HCD 41 (citing Anwar Hossain Chowdhury v Bangladesh, 41 DLR (AD) 165)
This guide explains the Constitution for general understanding. It is not legal advice. Constitutional reform proposals under discussion in 2026 are described as proposals until enacted.
Constitutional and writ practice
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