Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus yesterday ordered the authorities concerned to complete, by December, the preparations for the upcoming national election.
The Bangladesh Army said it has not yet received any official instructions from the government to assist in the upcoming election duties.
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BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed urged the government to immediately inform the Election Commission of its decision to hold the national polls in February next year.
The BNP has decided not to confront the interim government immediately over the national election roadmap, choosing instead to observe how the situation unfolds in the coming days.
Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman yesterday said the national election can be held only after basic reforms, the trial for crimes against humanity committed in July, and the establishment of a proper election system.
BNP leaders believe that the government is trying to cater to the interests of multiple political groups, which may explain the conflicting statements.
Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus in an interview with BBC published yesterday said the election would be held between December 2025 and March next year, depending on how quickly the government could institute reforms necessary for free and fair elections.
The government has assured the BNP of working to hold the national election by December this year, the party’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said yesterday.
The BNP is set to take to the streets demanding general elections by the end of this year and protesting the rising prices of essentials, said several standing committee members of the party.
The BNP yesterday demanded that the interim government arrange the next national election by August this year in the country’s best interest.
The BNP wants the national election by the middle of this year and local government polls afterwards.
There is a public perception that the interim government is intentionally delaying the election process, said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus yesterday said reforms without consensus and elections without reforms would not be able to take Bangladesh forward.
The Electoral Reform Commission is likely to recommend an investigation into irregularities during the last three national polls held under ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Leaders of the 12-party alliance, who previously organised joint movements with the BNP against the former Awami League government, have expressed support for the BNP’s position on holding the next parliamentary elections by 2025.
The US yesterday welcomed plans by Bangladesh's interim leader to hold elections next year or in early 2026
The BNP expressed its disappointment yesterday over the absence of a specific date for the next parliamentary polls in the chief adviser’s recent address to the nation.
The next parliamentary polls are expected to take place by June 30, 2026, said Shafiqul Alam, the press secretary to the chief adviser.
