First ever April election on the cards

Bangladesh has witnessed 12 national elections since independence, and the thirteenth national election is now set to be the first one held in the month of April.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus today announced that the next national election will be held in the first half of April 2026 during his address to the nation today on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha. 

Only two—the ones in 1986 and 1996—were not held in the typically dry months between October and March. Since the restoration of democracy in 1991, six of the seven national polls have been held during winter.

The first national election in independent Bangladesh was held on March 7, 1973. The next election was held on February 28, 1979, and the third election took place on May 7, 1986.

The fourth parliamentary election was held on March 3, 1988, and the fifth election on February 27, 1991, under an interim government.

The sixth parliamentary election was held on February 15, 1996, and the seventh on June 12, 1996, under a caretaker government.

The election in June 1996, were held barely four months after the previous polls as the Awami League and other opposition parties forced the ruling BNP-led government to step down and hand over power to a caretaker government. Before that, the opposition parties had boycotted the February 1996 election.

The election for the eighth parliament was held on October 1, 2001, the ninth parliamentary election was held on December 29, 2008, and the tenth election was held on January 5, 2014.

The eleventh parliamentary polls were held on December 30, 2018, and the 12th on January 7, 2024.