Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, has formally said that the next general election in the country will be in February 2026. The declaration was made during a national address that was carried on state radio and television. It was the first anniversary of the student-led rebellion that ousted the administration of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Yunus told the country that he would formally ask the Chief Election Commissioner to hold the national election before the start of the next Ramadan. He advised all political parties to start getting ready for an election that would be “memorable” in the country’s history. He stressed the importance of peace, high voter turnout, and friendliness.
Yunus’s address especially asked political parties to incorporate young people and women in their election platforms, recognizing how important young people were to the movement. He remarked, “Don’t forget that the young people who changed Bangladesh can also change the world.”
The “July Declaration” is now public.
The interim administration officially released the “July Declaration” earlier in the day. This 26-point declaration talks about the political, constitutional, and governance challenges in a way that fits with the spirit of the 2024 revolt. The proclamation was made public at a ceremony at the South Plaza of the Bangladesh Parliament Complex. It was concluded after talks with political parties such as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, and the newly established National Citizen Party (NCP).
The proclamation strongly criticizes the country’s 1972 constitution and promises to change it. It says that Sheikh Hasina’s last government made Bangladesh into a “fascist, mafia, and failed state” and asks for the 2024 rebellion to be officially recognized by the government and the constitution. The declaration also says that the people want the document itself to be part of the new constitution that the next elected government would write.
Celebrating an anniversary while worried
Tens of thousands of people came to Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka to mark the anniversary of the revolt that got Sheikh Hasina out of power. She has since fled to India. The interim government had made the day a national holiday and set up a big public event that was well guarded, with law enforcement agencies setting up checkpoints and searches.
The temporary government has also been criticized, even though many are happy. Human Rights Watch (HRW) put out a statement saying they were worried that the administration was “not doing enough to carry out its difficult human rights agenda.” Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW’s deputy director for Asia, said that the hope for a democracy that respects rights “remains unfulfilled.” She also said that the administration feels “stuck,” having trouble balancing an unreformed security sector with pressure from hardline groups and political factions.
The anniversary happens during a month of mourning for the Awami League, Sheikh Hasina’s party, which is still outlawed. August 15th is the anniversary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s death. He was the leader of Bangladesh’s independence movement and Hasina’s father.