Dhaka: The Bangladeshi interim government’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus Friday said that the country’s next national elections will be held on a day in April, next year.
“I’m announcing to the countrymen that the next national elections will be held on a day in the first half of April 2026,” Yunus said in a televised speech to the nation on the eve of the festival of Eid al-Adha, which will be celebrated in the country Saturday.
He said that the Election Commission will present a detailed roadmap of the election at an “appropriate time.”
During his address, Yunus also outlined the “achievements” of the Interim Government over the past 10 months and stressed that the government has been working on the three-point agenda of justice, reforms, and elections.
“We want the largest number of voters, candidates and parties to participate in the next elections. May this be remembered by the nation as the most free, fair and impartial election,” Yunus stated.
Pressure had been mounting on Yunus as several political parties of the country demanded elections by December, this year.
Salahuddin Ahmed, a Standing Committee member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), said earlier this week that holding national elections in the country before December is very much possible as completing necessary reforms based on a consensus could take less than a month.
“December is far too late. It is possible to hold the election before then. If the reform proposals, excluding those related to constitutional amendments, are accepted through national consensus, they can be implemented in less than a month,” Salahuddin was quoted as saying by the local media at a discussion organised by the Gono Odhikar Parishad Tuesday.
Reiterating that they are yet to find any valid argument to justify delaying elections beyond December, Salahuddin further observed: “We are all in favour of democracy and a prompt election to establish the people’s right to vote. There is not a single reason that justifies holding the election after December”.
The interim government has been facing increasing pressure from various political parties, including the BNP, to hold elections by the end of this year.
BNP remains confident of securing a majority in the elections while Yunus, currently swimming in the strong currents of anarchic, violent, volatile politics of the country, insists on implementing democratic reforms first and push back polls to June 2026.
Last month, BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman urged the youth and the people of the country to ensure that elections take place by December.
“Historically, caretaker governments in Bangladesh have shown that national elections can be organised and executed within three months. However, even 10 months into its tenure, the interim administration led by Yunus is still to announce an election date. The people of Bangladesh deserve better. We seek a nation free from authoritarianism, led by a government elected through a fair vote, and accountable to its citizens,” Rahman said while addressing a BNP rally virtually from London.
“If any of you want to stay in power, resign from your positions, stand with the people, contest elections, and if you win, return to lead the government,” he added.
Meanwhile, Yunus is scheduled to undertake another overseas visit, this time to London, from June 10-13 after Eid.
