Muhammad Yunus forced to announce Bangladesh elections after protests; polls will be held in…, Sheikh Hasina will…

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus Friday announced that Bangladesh Elections will be held in the first half of April 2026. Deposed ex-PM Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League are unlikely to participate.

Bangladesh Elections: In a major development in Bangladesh post the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in August last year, the country’s interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus Friday announced that the national election will be held in the first half of April 2026.

Yunus announces Bangladesh elections in April 2026

In a televised address to the nation, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said the a detailed roadmap will be provided by the Bangladesh Election Commission in due course, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported. “There is immense public and political interest regarding the timing of the election. As I’ve said before, it will be held between December and June. The government is working to ensure an environment conducive to a credible election within this timeframe.” Yunus said.

The announcement comes amid recent protests by the former premier Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) demanding elections by December this year.

“Our goal is to prevent future crises. That requires institutional reform. Without ensuring good governance in the institutions directly linked to the electoral process, all the sacrifices made by students and citizens will be in vain,” the 84-year-old said, while reiterating that the interim administration was formed with three mandates: reform, justice, and election.

“We believe that by the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr, we will reach a broadly acceptable position on reforms and justice — particularly in addressing crimes against humanity, as part of our collective duty to the martyrs of the July uprising,” the Nobel laureate said.

Earlier, on May 28, the BNP organized a massive rally as tens of thousands of youths staged protests demanding the Yunus-led interim government to hold national elections by December this year. “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.

Sheikh Hasina, Awami League unlikely to participate in polls

Meanwhile, deposed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League party, that formerly ruled Bangladesh, is unlikely to be allowed to participate in the April 2026 national elections as the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government last month ordered the disbanding of the party until the trials of its leaders were completed.

On August 5 2024, the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime was ousted from power after mass student protests led by the Students against Discrimination (SAD). Three days later, an Interim Government came to power in Dhaka with Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus at his helm as Chief Advisor.

On June 1 this month, the International Crimes Tribunal Bangladesh (ICT-BD) indicted Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, on a host of serious charges, including mass murder, for allegedly violating human rights during the brutal crackdown on student-led protest that ultimately led to her ouster in August last year.

The proceedings were broadcasted live on Bangladesh’s state-run BTV– a first in the country’s history.

(With inputs from agencies)