Dhaka – Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday said that the next election would be held in February 2026, instead of his earlier plan for holding it in April.
He made the announcement on Tuesday in a nationwide televised address, marking the first anniversary of the student-led mass uprising that ousted the former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
“On behalf of the interim administration, I will write a letter to the election commission to arrange the elections in February 2026, before Ramadan,” said Yunus, chief adviser to the interim administration.
He said his administration will extend all the support necessary to hold the election in a free, peaceful, and festive atmosphere.
Earlier in June, in a similar address to the nation, Yunus had announced that the election would be held sometime in April in the face of mounting pressure from major political groups.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former prime minister Khaleda Zia has been insisting on the government for a quick transition to democracy. The party demanded that the election should be held by December this year as the interim administration wanted to delay it further up to June 2026.
Yunus, however, agreed to hold the election in February when he met with Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP)de facto chief Tarique Rahman, the son of Khaleda Zia, in London on the second week of June.
The chief adviser had emphasized the importance of institutional reforms ahead of the election to ensure fairness.
He cited that at least three past elections under Hasina’s regime were marred by widespread allegations of vote rigging.
In May 2025, the interim government banned all activities of Hasina’s Awami League party until Hasina’s trial in crimes against humanity cases over the violent handling of last year’s uprising is completed.
And, accordingly, the Election Commission cancelled Awami League’s registration as a political party.
