Latest news with #KhaledaZia
News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
Bangladesh Political Parties Tell Yunus To Hold Election By December 2025
Last Updated: During the meeting, most parties reportedly expressed their preference for holding general elections within December 2025. Amid the ongoing tensions in Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh, held a meeting on Monday. The meeting conducted to discuss the future of Bangladesh's electoral process was attended by representatives of over 20 political parties. During the meeting, most parties reportedly expressed their preference for holding general elections within December 2025. 'I have listened to everything you all have said. This is a meeting of the Unity Commission, and it is our duty to ensure that we work together in a spirit of unity." The Jamaat-e-Islami also joined the call, demanding that elections be held 'at the earliest." However, the party is likely to raise objections over the presence of a Buddhist temple image in official materials shared during the meeting. The meeting comes days after former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) intensified pressure on the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government by staging a massive rally demanding elections by December. advetisement 'The national election must be held by December. Preparations must begin immediately," BNP's acting chairman Tarique Rahman said as he joined the rally through a virtual platform from London. 'In the past, all caretaker governments held fair elections within three months. Today, it's been over 10 months and yet, the government has not even announced the date of the election," Rahman said. The Chief Adviser Yunus-led interim government took charge after political turmoil in the nation forced former premier Sheikh Hasina to resign in August last year. Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : bangladesh Muhammad Yunus First Published: June 02, 2025, 20:51 IST
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Supporters of Bangladesh's ex-Premier Khaleda Zia rally to call for a general election
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Tens of thousands of students and youths from a leading Bangladeshi political party rallied in the capital, Dhaka, on Wednesday, calling for a general election in December as discontent grows with the interim government appointed after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August. Activists from three groups linked to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia gathered on the streets outside its party headquarters, under heightened security.
Washington Post
7 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Supporters of Bangladesh's ex-premier Khaleda Zia rally to call for a general election
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Tens of thousands of students and youths from a leading Bangladeshi political party rallied in the capital, Dhaka, on Wednesday, calling for a general election in December as discontent grows with the interim government appointed after the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August. Activists from three groups linked to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, headed by former prime minister Khaleda Zia gathered on the streets outside its party headquarters, under heightened security.
The Independent
7 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Supporters of Bangladesh's ex-premier Khaleda Zia rally to call for a general election
Tens of thousands of students and youths from a leading Bangladeshi political party rallied in the capital, Dhaka, on Wednesday, calling for a general election in December as discontent grows with the interim government appointed after the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August. Activists from three groups linked to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, headed by former prime minister Khaleda Zia gathered on the streets outside its party headquarters, under heightened security. Wednesday's rally was held after weeks of political tensions after interim leader and Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus threatened to quit and the influential military chief publicly declared his support for an election in December. Zia, who has been suffering from ill-health for several years, recently returned to Bangladesh after four months of medical treatment in London, putting further pressure on Bangladesh's interim government to call an election. Hasina, Zia's archrival, has been in exile in India since she was toppled last year by a mass uprising. Her party, the Awami League, was also banned by the interim government. The BNP's acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, Zia's elder son, was expected to address the rally later on Wednesday by video link from London, where he is in exile. The interim government has been shaken by a series of protests, including by civil servants, primary school teachers and employees at the national revenue service in recent weeks. They accuse the government of failures in prosecuting organized crime figures responsible for killing and injuring hundreds of people. Business bodies have also criticized Yunus over the weakness of the economy and labor unrest. When Yunus came to power, he promised to make reforms in areas including the election law, women's rights and general administration, but the process has been slow and his critics believe he is using delaying tactics to remain in power. The 10 months of rule under Yunus also marked a visible rise of influence by Islamists in the Muslim-majority country, which is governed largely by a secular constitution and legal system. A fatigued military, which has been out of barracks since July last year to maintain law and order, is unhappy because of the delay in returning to democracy. The BNP recently met with Yunus and reiterated its demand for an election in December, saying that if Yunus quits, the country will find an alternative leader. But Yunus' associates later said he was staying. Yunus promised to hold an election by June 2026, depending on the extent of reforms it has undertaken. The BNP, which is hopeful of forming the next government in absence of Hasina's Awami League, said the pace of implementation of reforms should not be an excuse to delay the election and argued that the reform is a continuous process.
Times of Oman
7 days ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
"Sooner elections are held in Bangladesh, the better," says adviser to former PM Khaleda Zia
Dhaka: An adviser to former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia said the sooner elections are held in Bangladesh, the better. The adviser also noted that the Army Chief has expressed concern about holding elections by December, as troops currently deployed for civilian and policing duties would prefer to return to their barracks. "No clear roadmap concerning when the election will be scheduled has been given. You know that the people of this country, for the last 16 years, have not had the scope to vote freely. The expectations of the people are very high. Today, those who are 35-36 years old have never voted in their lifetime. There is a big expectation that people must have the right to vote. I think the sooner, the better," Retired Major General Fazle Elahi Akbar, Defence and Security Adviser to the Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, said. "I see the election is imminent. It is a matter of time, and people are expecting that there should be an election and there should be a party elected by the people who take into hand the problem that the country is facing," he told ANI in an interview. The Army Chief and the three defence forces Chiefs of Bangladesh attended the inauguration of Akbar's Think Tank, Foundation for Strategic and Development Studies (FSDS), in a rare ceremony. He does not consider Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman's recent speech on Army Officers Address, expecting elections by December, as a power struggle with the interim government. "I think to say there is a power struggle is a little too much. After all, it's a government, the Army is an important institution, and the interim government is equally very important and very crucial. Army chief, I think the reason for his saying is that, after all, his troops are on the streets. No army in the world would like to do a job that is exclusively civil and policing in nature. In such a situation, the army chief has raised his voice concerning the integrity and standard of discipline to preserve the discipline and the professional competence of the military. He would like his troops to get back into the barracks and go back to business as usual," Akbar said. Whether the election will be credible without the participation of the Awami League is a burning question that people have been discussing. However, Akbar believes that the Awami League is not in a position to participate in the vote. "Is Awami League prepared to come and face the public and campaign for the election? I think this is an objective or the vision, the proposal is unattainable. Awami League is not in a position right now, even if the election is held within the next year or so. It is a utopic idea. It is better to let the Awami League rest and face the judiciary," Akbar, the Chairman of FSDS, said. He said that overthrowing Sheikh Hasina's government was not the sole achievement of the students and that they would not be able to form a people's political party, keeping their representatives in the government. "The political parties in the last 16 years fought the battle and created the ground. But certainly it is the students who ultimately show up at the final. They share courage, share unity, and share spirit that brought the Hasina regime down. So I have full respect for them," Akbar said. "But I would like to caution them, don't form a king's party by means with the support of the government. Historically, in Bangladesh, no king's party has survived. They must be very careful whether to form a king's party or the party of the people. The present demand is that the people who are in the cabinet and also part of the new party should not," he added. When asked whether Bangladesh's economy has weakened since the removal of Sheikh Hasina as Prime Minister, Akbar said, "Statistically, the answer is yes. After all, the previous regime syphoned out USD 50 billion. A country like this has a small economy, still sustaining itself with that. The interim regime has a memo of tasks to get the economy back. We have to have loan repayment. The economy is suffering because investment is also not coming. Most of the investors did not come. So, all these statistics show that the GDP is already below 5 per cent and in the future it will go to around 3 per cent. This is a very big challenge".
