LONDON: As Bangladesh continues to grapple with political conflict and instability, the interim government’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on Friday held a meeting with Tarique Rahman, the Acting Chairman of Khaleda Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), at a London hotel. The much-anticipated meeting, held during Yunus’s official visit to the United Kingdom, was held at a time when the rift between various political parties over holding national elections in the country is widening.
According to a joint statement released after the meeting, Rahman proposed that Yunus hold the upcoming national elections in the country before the beginning of Ramadan in 2026, adding that BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia also shared the same view.
Yunus on the other hand, mentioned that he has already announced elections to be held in the first half of April 2026. However, if all preparations are completed, he said, the elections could also be organised in the week before Ramadan starts in 2026. In that case, sufficient progress would need to be made on reforms and justice within that time frame, he emphasised.
This was Tarique Rahman’s first private meeting with Yunus since he left Bangladesh and settled in London in September 2008.
While Ramadan is expected to begin in mid-February next year, top BNP leaders have been demanding parliamentary elections by December this year. Tarique Rahman, the party’s de facto leader, too reiterated the demand while addressing several rallies virtually.
Yunus had recently announced that the country’s next national elections will be held “on a day in April”, next year. “I’m announcing to the countrymen that the next national elections will be held on a day in the first half of April 2026,” Yunus said in a televised speech to the nation ahead of Eid.
He said that the Election Commission will present a detailed roadmap of the election at an “appropriate time”. However, various political parties in the country immediately slammed the move. Last week, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told local media in Dhaka that April is “not suitable in any way” for holding national elections.
“April is not the right time for holding polls in Bangladesh. There will be the possibility of extreme heat, storms and rains during the period. And, the time is right after Ramadan… There are public examinations as well,” said Alamgir.
Earlier, Salahuddin Ahmed, a Standing Committee member of the BNP, said that holding national elections in the country before December is very much possible as completing necessary reforms based on a consensus could take less than a month.
“December is far too late. It is possible to hold the election before then. If the reform proposals, excluding those related to constitutional amendments, are accepted through national consensus, they can be implemented in less than a month,” Salahuddin was quoted as saying by the local media at a discussion organised by the Gono Odhikar Parishad.
The interim government has been facing increasing pressure from various political parties, including the BNP, to hold elections by the end of this year. Last month, Tarique Rahman urged the youth and the people of the country to ensure that elections take place by December.
“Historically, caretaker governments in Bangladesh have shown that national elections can be organised and executed within three months. However, even 10 months into its tenure, the interim administration led by Yunus is still to announce an election date. The people of Bangladesh deserve better. We seek a nation free from authoritarianism, led by a government elected through a fair vote, and accountable to its citizens,” Rahman said while addressing a BNP rally virtually from London.
“If any of you want to stay in power, resign from your positions, stand with the people, contest elections, and if you win, return to lead the government,” he added.
