London/Dhaka: Bangladesh’s interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has indicated that the country’s long-awaited national elections may be held by early February 2026, raising the possibility of voting just before the start of Ramadan next year.
A joint statement released following Yunus’s high-profile meeting in London with Acting BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman said the elections could be scheduled “in the week before Ramadan in 2026” if preparations are completed on time. “It will be necessary to achieve sufficient progress on reform and justice within that period,” the statement noted.
The rare face-to-face meeting between Yunus and Rahman — seen by many as potentially reshaping the country’s political future — was described as taking place in a “very cordial atmosphere.” Rahman reportedly proposed holding elections before Ramadan, a suggestion supported by BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, according to the joint statement.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) — led by Khaleda Zia and currently the largest political force in the country — is positioning itself to return to power after more than a decade in opposition. The ruling Awami League, led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, remains banned from contesting elections following her ouster in a student-led uprising in August 2024. Hasina is currently in self-imposed exile in India.
This meeting is widely viewed as a political milestone, potentially ending Tarique Rahman’s 16-year exile in London. Observers suggest he could soon return to Bangladesh to lead BNP’s election campaign.
Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Laureate and microfinance pioneer, is currently in London on a four-day official visit. His trip has not been without controversy. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer declined to meet Yunus, reportedly following concerns raised by Awami League sympathisers over Bangladesh’s political transition.
Yunus’s leadership of the interim government, formed after Sheikh Hasina’s fall, marks a new chapter in Bangladesh’s volatile politics. He has vowed to hold free and fair elections and usher in reforms aimed at restoring public trust.
The prospect of early 2026 elections — with the BNP as a frontrunner — signals a potential return to competitive politics after years of Awami League-dominated governance. However, significant hurdles remain, including reforming electoral institutions and ensuring political justice, as noted in the joint statement.
Political analysts in Dhaka and London are calling the Yunus-Rahman talks a possible “game-changer” for Bangladesh’s democratic future.