‘No way': Bangladesh interim leader Yunus rules out staying in power after 2026 elections
Days after announcing polls for April 2026, Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus said on Wednesday that he has no intention of holding onto power after the elections—the country's first national vote since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, 84, was appointed to lead the interim administration of the South Asian nation of 173 million last August after a student-led uprising forced then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India.
Speaking at Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, Yunus was emphatic when asked whether he would seek a political role after the election.
'There was 'no way',' he replied as quoted by news agency AFP, waving his hands for emphasis. 'I think none of our cabinet members would like to do that, not only me.'
It was on Friday last week when Yunus announced that the country's national elections will be held in the first half of April 2026.
'After reviewing the ongoing reforms related to justice, governance, and the electoral process, I am announcing to the nation today that the next national election will be held on any day in the first half of April 2026,' Yunus said during a televised address to the nation on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.
'The Election Commission will provide you with a detailed roadmap for the elections at an appropriate time,' he added.
Yunus had reiterated that his government's primary role is to ensure a smooth transition to a democratically elected government. He has previously committed to holding elections before June 2026, but political parties have pressured him to set a more concrete timeline.
Meanwhile, Yunus who is currently on UK visit, will meet King Charles III and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during the visit which is scheduled from June 9-13.
Yunus' announcement regarding the Bangladesh elections comes just a week after the country's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) formally indicted former PM Hasina and two others on charges including mass murder. The indictments stem from their alleged role in a violent crackdown on the student-led protests that erupted across Bangladesh in 2024.
A three-judge ICT bench took cognisance of the charges after prosecutors accused Hasina and her former colleagues of unleashing excessive force on demonstrators during the unrest that eventually led to her ouster.
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