Bangladesh national elections possible in February 2nd week

Dhaka : Bangladesh's Chief Adviser (CA) Muhammad Yunus and BNP Acting Chairperson Tarique Rahman have agreed on a proposal that the next national election can be held in the second week of February next year, if all preparations are complete. The revelation came through a joint statement following their much-awaited meeting held in a very cordial atmosphere at The Dorchester hotel in London on Friday. Reading out the statement during a press briefing, Bangladesh's National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman said Tarique proposed to the CA to hold the elections before Ramadan next year, which is likely to start on February 17- subject to lunar sighting. "The party's Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia also believes that it would be better if the elections were held during that time." In response, the CA said he had announced that the elections would be held by the first half of April next year. "If all preparations are completed, the elections could be held in the week before the start of Ramadan in 2026. In that case, it would be necessary to achieve sufficient progress on reforms and justice by that time." Since Ramadan is set to begin in the third week of February, this proposal places the likely election date in the second week of the month. Tarique welcomed the CA's position on the issue and thanked him on behalf of the party. Yunus also thanked Tarique for the fruitful discussions. The much-hyped meeting between Yunus and Tarique ended after nearly one and a half hours of discussions on various crucial issues ahead of the general election in Bangladesh. The meeting began at The Dorchester, where Yunus is staying during his four-day trip to the UK, at 2pm Bangladesh time and continued till 3:30pm, said BNP Media Cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan. Earlier in the day, the BNP Media Cell in a post on Facebook dubbed the meeting between Yunus and Tarique "historic." Yunus' Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury were also present at the meeting.

Earlier on June 6, CA Yunus announced that the national election will be held any day in the first half of April 2026. "Based on this announcement, the Election Commission will provide a detailed roadmap for the elections at an appropriate time," he said in a televised address to the nation on the eve of the Eid-ul-Adha. "I have repeatedly said this election will be held between December and June next year. The government is doing everything necessary to create an environment conducive to elections in the country during this period," he said. The BNP, which has consistently demanded that the next national election be held by December this year, and several parties reacted with frustration, calling the decision unilateral and impractical. BNP has since been vocal in urging the government to reconsider.