Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman today said there will be no election in the country unless the legal basis of the July National Charter is ensured.

He said this at a mass rally at Dhaka's Paltan intersection amid chanting slogans by thousands of leaders and activists of eight like-minded parties.

Jamaat and seven like-minded parties began their rally around 2:05pm, pressing for their five-point demand, which includes giving a legal basis to the July National Charter and holding the next national election under a proportional representation (PR) system.

The programme began with a recitation from the Quran, after which Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad declared the start of the rally.

Earlier in the day, leaders and activists started gathering at the Purana Paltan intersection for the joint rally of eight like-minded parties -- including Jamaat and Islami Andolan Bangladesh -- that are waging a simultaneous movement to press home their demands.

The rally, part of the second day's programme in the fifth phase of their ongoing movement, was scheduled to begin at 2:00pm.

Shafiqur said a new programme will be announced at the earliest possible time.

He said the top leaders of the eight-party alliance will hold a meeting after the rally.