Dhaka [Bangladesh], August 5 (ANI): Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday announced that the country will hold its next general election in February 2026. The announcement was made during a televised address to the nation on the first anniversary of the 2024 uprising that led to the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“On behalf of the interim government, I will write to the Chief Election Commissioner, requesting that the Election Commission organise a national election in February 2026, before the next Ramadan,” Yunus stated during his address aired on BTV and national radio.
Yunus, a Nobel Laureate, called on all stakeholders to begin preparations for a peaceful and widely participated electoral process. “We will all begin mental preparation and institutional arrangements from tomorrow to complete all arrangements so that this year’s election is memorable in the country’s history in terms of joy and celebration, peace and order, voter turnout, and cordiality,” he said.
Appealing to political parties, he urged them to include youth and women in their manifestos, highlighting their pivotal role in shaping the nation. “The youth who have changed Bangladesh have the power to change the world as well,” he emphasized.
Earlier in the day, the interim government formally unveiled the “July Declaration,” a comprehensive 26-point policy document that outlines political, constitutional, and governance reforms inspired by last year’s student-led uprising. The declaration was presented at a ceremony held at the South Plaza of the Bangladesh Parliament Complex.
The event was attended by top leaders from key opposition parties including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, and the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP), all of whom endorsed the declaration. It criticized the 1972 constitution and accused former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of leading a regime that turned Bangladesh into a “fascist, mafia and failed state.”
“The post-independence Awami League government failed to materialise the people’s aspirations due to weaknesses in the drafting procedures and structure of the constitution,” the declaration read. It further stated that “the July Declaration will feature in the schedule of the reformed constitution as framed by the government formed through the next national election.”
Thousands of citizens gathered on Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka to commemorate the first anniversary of the July Uprising, which resulted in the fall of the Hasina government. The day was declared a national holiday by the interim administration, and celebrations were held under heightened security.
Despite the day’s significance, international watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed concern over the interim government’s progress on human rights. “The hope of the thousands who braved lethal violence a year ago… remains unfulfilled,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at HRW. “The interim government appears stuck, juggling an unreformed security sector, sometimes violent religious hardliners, and political groups more focused on vengeance than rights.”
Security was tight across Dhaka, with law enforcement agencies conducting street checks and searches. The Awami League, although banned from political activity, is marking August as a month of mourning to remember Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s independence leader and father of Sheikh Hasina, who was assassinated on August 15, 1975.
Sheikh Hasina was overthrown in the 2024 July uprising and later fled to India. The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has since taken charge, navigating a politically tense and complex transition. (ANI)
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