Chief Adviser Yunus had earlier promised elections in December 2025, but the timeline has since been pushed back first to February 2026 and then to June 2026, fuelling suspicion and dissatisfaction among opposition parties and citizens alike.
The political landscape in Bangladesh is heating up as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) called for early national elections on Wednesday, ramping up pressure on the interim government led by Mohammed Yunus. This marks the first time in nearly a year that the BNP has openly challenged the interim administration and its major policies, signalling increasing tensions as the country grapples with demands for a swift electoral roadmap.
Addressing a large rally in Dhaka via video link from London, Tarique Rahman, acting chairman of the BNP, criticised the government’s delay in announcing a clear date for the general elections. “Excuses are already being made regarding the national elections. Even after 10 months, the interim government has not announced the election date,” Rahman said, stressing that caretaker governments in Bangladesh have historically been able to organise elections within three months. “The precedent is clear: it can be done. And yet, 10 months into its tenure, the interim administration has still not announced an election date,” he added.
Yunus had earlier promised elections in December 2025, but the timeline has since been pushed back first to February 2026 and then to June 2026, fuelling suspicion and dissatisfaction among opposition parties and citizens alike.
On the same day as the BNP’s mass rallies, Mohammed Yunus addressed a public gathering in Tokyo during his official trip to Japan, elaborating on the government’s position. Yunus stated that the next elections could be held anytime between December 2025 and June 2026, depending on the progress made with ongoing electoral and governance reforms. “If the reforms are slow and accomplish little then we have a longer time. And the longer time cannot continue endlessly. Must finish it up by June 2026. So that is the timeline we are working on,” Yunus explained.
Yunus emphasised the government’s commitment to handing over power to an elected administration once the electoral process is completed. “People are insisting to tell them when the elections would be because the politicians are very impatient, to get to their seats of power,” he noted.
The BNP, however, remains unconvinced by these assurances. Rahman issued a stern warning to the interim government not to postpone elections beyond December, urging the restoration of “political rights of the youth” and urging the government to follow democratic norms rather than excuses. “I often make a point that bears repeating: reforming individual mindsets is far more important than reforming texts or institutions on paper,” Rahman said in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, Bangladesh continues to witness unrest tied to broader political fissures, including a recent contentious Supreme Court verdict. On Tuesday, the apex court overturned the death sentence of Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam, who was convicted of crimes against humanity during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War.
Azharul Islam, imprisoned for nearly 13 years, was acquitted following a review petition—a first since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government in August last year during a violent uprising. His release sparked immediate protests and violent clashes across several university campuses.
At Rajshahi University, clashes erupted between left-leaning student activists and Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, resulting in at least 10 injuries. The violence began when leftist students held a torch procession protesting Azharul’s acquittal. According to Rakib Hasan, president of the RU Chhatra Union, Jamaat supporters violently attacked their group, which included just a dozen members. “We were attacked three times, resulting in injuries to almost all of us, with four suffering serious injuries,” Hasan said. The Socialist Student Front’s convener Fuad Ratul condemned the violence as an assault on democratic protest.
Azharul was initially sentenced to death in 2014 by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) for orchestrating mass killings, abductions, torture, and arson in the greater Rangpur area during the Liberation War. His appeal was rejected by the Appellate Division in 2019, but the review petition was accepted by the Supreme Court in 2025, culminating in the recent acquittal.
The overturning of the verdict has deeply polarised the country, highlighting ongoing political divisions and a fragile reconciliation process more than five decades after the war. Supporters of the former ruling party and leftist groups have condemned the acquittal, fearing it undermines justice and the memory of those lost in 1971.
As Bangladesh navigates this fraught political environment, calls for elections are intensifying amid demands for transparent governance, accountability, and stability. The BNP’s vocal criticism and large-scale mobilisations reflect a broader impatience with the interim government’s pace and approach to reforms.
