Bangladesh final yr witnessed a major political rebellion as widespread protests led to the resignation of Sheikh Hasina in August, who presently is in exile in India.
Bangladesh interim authorities chief Muhammad Yunus on Friday made the announcement that the nationwide elections will probably be held by the primary half of April 2026 amid calls for from main political events to carry polls by December.
EC will present an in depth roadmap, says Yunus
“Based mostly on this announcement, the Election Fee will present an in depth roadmap for the elections at an acceptable time,” he stated throughout a televised tackle to the nation on the eve of the Eid-ul-Adha competition.
Yunus, who took cost after the toppling of the previous premier Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League authorities in August final yr, stated that the federal government’s key accountability is to carry a clear, peaceable, festive, and inclusive election.
“Our purpose is to forestall future crises. That requires institutional reform. With out guaranteeing good governance within the establishments instantly linked to the electoral course of, all of the sacrifices made by college students and residents will probably be in useless,” the 84-year-old Nobel Laureate stated.
Yunus administration to hold out three mandates – justice, reform, elections
Moreover, Yunus stated his administration took over to hold out three mandates “justice, reform and elections”.
“I’ve repeatedly stated that this election will probably be held between December and June subsequent yr. The federal government is doing no matter is critical to create an surroundings conducive to elections within the nation throughout this era,” he stated.
Yunus additionally added that he anticipated the reforms and justice points would attain an “acceptable stage” forward of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan subsequent yr, which is to be noticed from mid-February to mid-March 2026.
The interim authorities refers back to the “justice” problem because the trial of leaders and officers of deposed prime minister Hasina’s now disbanded Awami League and her authorities that was ousted in a violent motion led by the College students in opposition to Discrimination (SAD) on August 5, 2024.
Yunus, who was in Paris at the moment, flew from the French capital to take cost of the interim administration as its chief adviser three days later.
A big a part of the management of the SAD floated the Nationwide Citizen Get together (NCP) with Yunus’s blessings in February this yr.
Hasina, who now lives in India, and most of her senior colleagues within the occasion and authorities are in jail or fled the nation because the interim authorities accused them of committing crimes in opposition to humanity, which can result in capital punishment.
The deposed premier and quite a few Awami League leaders and officers of the previous authorities, nevertheless, are being tried in absentia in Bangladesh’s Worldwide Crimes Tribunal for his or her position within the crackdown of final yr’s rebellion when lots of of individuals had been killed.
Yunus stated as regards to the trial of crimes in opposition to humanity – “which is our collective accountability in direction of the martyrs of the July mass rebellion – we will see seen progress” forward of the polls.