{"id":15852,"date":"2025-08-05T18:05:48","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T18:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=15852"},"modified":"2025-08-05T18:05:48","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T18:05:48","slug":"bangladesh-to-hold-elections-in-february-2026-says-yunus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=15852","title":{"rendered":"Bangladesh to hold elections in February 2026, says Yunus"},"content":{"rendered":"
Bangladesh interim leader Muhammad Yunus said on Tuesday he would ask the election commission to hold a national election next February.<\/p>\n

Earlier thousands of exultant Bangladeshis gathered in Dhaka on Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of the mass protests that toppled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as the interim government unveiled a symbolic roadmap promising democratic reform.<\/p>\n

Rallies, concerts, and prayer sessions were held in the capital as people in the Muslim-majority South Asian nation celebrated what they called the country\u2019s \u201csecond liberation\u201d.<\/p>\n

The events culminated with Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus formally reading out the \u201cJuly Declaration\u201d \u2013 a 28-point document that seeks to give constitutional recognition to the 2024 student-led uprising, sparked by economic woes and repression, that forced Hasina to flee to India on August 5.<\/p>\n

Also Read: Dhaka shows interest in coal, limestone import<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people of Bangladesh express their desire that the student-people uprising of 2024 will get proper state and constitutional recognition,\u201d said Yunus, the de facto prime minister who heads the interim government installed after Hasina\u2019s ouster, as representatives of political parties looked on.<\/p>\n

People watch Muhammad Yunus, leader of Bangladeshi interim government, as he appears on a screen while reading the July Declaration, during celebrations marking the one-year anniversary of student-led protests that led to the ousting of Bangladeshi then-Prime-Minister Sheikh Hasina, at Manik Mia Avenue, outside the parliament building, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 5, 2025.PHOTO: REUTERS<\/p>\n

\u201cThe July Declaration will feature in the schedule of the reformed constitution as framed by the government formed through the next national election,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Supporters see the charter as a foundation for institutional reform, but critics have warned its impact could be largely symbolic in the absence of a legal framework or parliamentary consensus.<\/p>\n

Earlier on Tuesday, in a message to the nation, Yunus said:<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether, we will build a Bangladesh where tyranny will never rise again,\u201d<\/p>\n

As he paid tribute to those who sacrificed their lives. A peaceful, fair and transparent election could be held early next year, he said, pledging a return to full democratic rule amid mounting pressure for a swifter transition and growing labour unrest.<\/p>\n

\u201cFallen autocrats and their self-serving allies remain active,\u201d he added, urging unity to protect the gains of the uprising while his government holds reform talks with political parties and civil society.<\/p>\n

His interim government had launched sweeping reforms, he added, while trials for those responsible for the \u201cJuly killings\u201d of 2024 were progressing swiftly.<\/p>\n

Mixed emotions<\/p>\n

Crowds waving flags, holding placards, and chanting slogans gathered near parliament, including some who had been injured in the protests.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn this day in 2024, the tyrant Sheikh Hasina fled the country,\u201d said Ahmedul Hasan, who was accompanied by his sister.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was here last year too. I\u2019ve come again to remember that moment and join the celebrations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others were less exuberant.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven after all the bloodshed and sacrifice, a truly liberal democracy in Bangladesh still feels like a distant dream,\u201d said Sabbir Ahmed, a college student from Jamalpur who participated in last year\u2019s protests.<\/p>\n

Read More: Bangladesh to unveil democratic reforms on coup anniversary<\/p>\n

Police were on high alert throughout the capital, with armoured vehicles patrolling the streets to deter any attempt by Hasina\u2019s banned Awami League to disrupt the day\u2019s events.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet this anniversary not be a day of retrospection, but a rallying cry for a brighter tomorrow,\u201d Hasina said in an open letter to the people of Bangladesh, adding that she had never resigned from her duties as prime minister.<\/p>\n

\u201cBangladesh has overcome adversity before, and we will rise again, stronger, more united, and more determined to build a democracy that truly serves its people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite some opposition, it is backed by major political groups, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former premier Khaleda Zia.<\/p>\n

Supporters see the charter as a foundation for institutional reform, but critics have warned its impact could be largely symbolic in the absence of a legal framework or parliamentary consensus.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bangladesh interim leader Muhammad Yunus said on Tuesday he would ask the election commission to hold a national election next February. Earlier thousands of exultant Bangladeshis gathered in Dhaka on Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of the mass protests that toppled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as the interim government unveiled a symbolic roadmap […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15852\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}