Bangladesh will hold general elections in February 2026, says Muhammad Yunus

Bangladesh will hold its next general elections in February 2026, The Daily Star quoted Muhammad Yunus, the head of the country’s interim government, as saying on Tuesday.

During a televised speech marking a year since the ouster of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led government, Yunus said he would formally request the Election Commission to schedule the vote before the start of Ramadan, which is expected to begin on February 17 or 18 next year.

In June, he had announced that elections would be held in April 2026. However, the date was advanced amid growing pressure from major political parties, AFP reported.

Yunus, a Nobel laureate economist, took over as chief adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government three days after Hasina resigned as the prime minister and fled to India on August 5. Hasina fled after several weeks of widespread student-led protests against her Awami League government.

She was ousted from power after being the prime minister of Bangladesh for 16 years.

Yunus has pledged to step down once an elected government takes office.

“We will step into the final and most important phase after delivering this speech to you, and that is the transfer of power to an elected government,” he was quoted as saying by AFP.

The interim chief also unveiled the “July Declaration”, which promises full state and constitutional recognition of the 2024 student...

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