Bangladesh to hold election in first half of April 2026
Bangladesh will hold a national election in the first half of April 2026, its de facto premier said on Friday, after a period of interim unelected government since student-led unrest in 2024 toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
The administration led by Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been running the South Asian nation of 173 million people since August, when Hasina fled to India in the face of deadly street protests against her government.
Yunus' administration, however, has also faced serious discontent in recent weeks, with protests breaking out last month over wage demands and orders relating to the dismissal of public servants for misconduct without lengthy procedures.
"After reviewing the ongoing reform activities...I am announcing to the people today that the next national election will be held on any day in the first half of April 2026," Yunus said in an address to the nation on Friday.
The election commission would provide a detailed roadmap for the vote at an appropriate time, said Yunus, who is not aligned with any party and has said he is not interested in running.
Opposition groups, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), had been demanding early elections, warning of instability and "strong resentment within the people" if a vote were not held by December.
The BNP's leader and former prime minister, Khaleda Zia, was acquitted in January in a 2008 corruption case, paving the way for her to run in the next election.
Hasina's Awami League party was effectively barred from contesting the polls when the elections commission suspended its registration last month.
Yunus' government had earlier banned all Awami League activities under the Anti-Terrorism Act after days of protests, citing national security threats.
Hasina, credited with turning around the economy but accused of human rights violations and the suppression of dissent, won a fourth straight term in 2024, but the vote was boycotted by the main opposition, whose top leaders were in jail or in exile.
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Al Etihad
12 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Bangladesh's Yunus announces elections in April 2026
7 June 2025 11:33 DHAKA (AFP) Bangladesh will hold elections in early April 2026 for the first time since a mass uprising overthrew the government last year, interim leader Muhammad Yunus said South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by a student-led revolt in August 2024, ending her rule of 15 years.'I am announcing to the citizens of the country that the election will be held on any day in the first half of April 2026,' said Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who leads the caretaker parties jostling for power have been repeatedly demanding Yunus fix an election timetable, while he has said time is needed as the country requires an overhaul of its democratic institutions after Hasina's tenure.'The government has been doing everything necessary to create an environment conducive to hold the election,' he added in the television broadcast, while repeating his warning that reforms were needed.'It should be remembered that Bangladesh has plunged into deep crisis every time it has held a flawed election,' he said, in a speech given on the eve of the Eid Al Adha holiday in the Muslim-majority interim government had already repeatedly vowed to hold elections before June 2026, but said the more time it had to enact reforms, the key Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), seen as the election frontrunner, has in recent weeks been pushing hard for polls to be held by December. Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, in a speech to officers in May, also said that elections should be held by December, according to both Bangladeshi media and military after that speech, the government warned that political power struggles risked jeopardising gains that had been made. Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024 after the previous government launched a crackdown on protests, according to the United Nations. Hasina, who fled to India. has defied an extradition order to return to Dhaka. Her trial opened in absentia this month. Yunus said 'reforms, trials, and elections' were the three 'core mandates' of his government. The Election Commission will "present a detailed roadmap" for the vote "at an appropriate time", the interim leader said without specifying a date.
ARN News Center
a day ago
- ARN News Center
Bangladesh to hold election in first half of April 2026
Bangladesh will hold a national election in the first half of April 2026, its de facto premier said on Friday, after a period of interim unelected government since student-led unrest in 2024 toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The administration led by Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been running the South Asian nation of 173 million people since August, when Hasina fled to India in the face of deadly street protests against her government. Yunus' administration, however, has also faced serious discontent in recent weeks, with protests breaking out last month over wage demands and orders relating to the dismissal of public servants for misconduct without lengthy procedures. "After reviewing the ongoing reform activities...I am announcing to the people today that the next national election will be held on any day in the first half of April 2026," Yunus said in an address to the nation on Friday. The election commission would provide a detailed roadmap for the vote at an appropriate time, said Yunus, who is not aligned with any party and has said he is not interested in running. Opposition groups, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), had been demanding early elections, warning of instability and "strong resentment within the people" if a vote were not held by December. The BNP's leader and former prime minister, Khaleda Zia, was acquitted in January in a 2008 corruption case, paving the way for her to run in the next election. Hasina's Awami League party was effectively barred from contesting the polls when the elections commission suspended its registration last month. Yunus' government had earlier banned all Awami League activities under the Anti-Terrorism Act after days of protests, citing national security threats. Hasina, credited with turning around the economy but accused of human rights violations and the suppression of dissent, won a fourth straight term in 2024, but the vote was boycotted by the main opposition, whose top leaders were in jail or in exile.
Dubai Eye
a day ago
- Dubai Eye
Bangladesh to hold election in first half of April 2026
Bangladesh will hold a national election in the first half of April 2026, its de facto premier said on Friday, after a period of interim unelected government since student-led unrest in 2024 toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The administration led by Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been running the South Asian nation of 173 million people since August, when Hasina fled to India in the face of deadly street protests against her government. Yunus' administration, however, has also faced serious discontent in recent weeks, with protests breaking out last month over wage demands and orders relating to the dismissal of public servants for misconduct without lengthy procedures. "After reviewing the ongoing reform activities...I am announcing to the people today that the next national election will be held on any day in the first half of April 2026," Yunus said in an address to the nation on Friday. The election commission would provide a detailed roadmap for the vote at an appropriate time, said Yunus, who is not aligned with any party and has said he is not interested in running. Opposition groups, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), had been demanding early elections, warning of instability and "strong resentment within the people" if a vote were not held by December. The BNP's leader and former prime minister, Khaleda Zia, was acquitted in January in a 2008 corruption case, paving the way for her to run in the next election. Hasina's Awami League party was effectively barred from contesting the polls when the elections commission suspended its registration last month. Yunus' government had earlier banned all Awami League activities under the Anti-Terrorism Act after days of protests, citing national security threats. Hasina, credited with turning around the economy but accused of human rights violations and the suppression of dissent, won a fourth straight term in 2024, but the vote was boycotted by the main opposition, whose top leaders were in jail or in exile.
