Bangladesh: Pressure mounts on Yunus as political parties demand elections by December

Dhaka: Salahuddin Ahmed, a Standing Committee member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), on Tuesday said holding national elections in the country before December is very much possible as completing necessary reforms based on a consensus could take less than a month.

“December is far too late. It is possible to hold the election before then. If the reform proposals, excluding those related to constitutional amendments, are accepted through national consensus, they can be implemented in less than a month,” Salahuddin was quoted as saying by the local media at a discussion organised by the Gono Odhikar Parishad on Tuesday.  Reiterating that they are yet to find any valid argument to justify delaying elections beyond December, Salahuddin further observed: “We are all in favour of democracy and a prompt election to establish the people’s right to vote. There is not a single reason that justifies holding the election after December”.

The interim government led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has been facing increasing pressure from various political parties, including the BNP, to hold elections by the end of this year.

BNP remains confident of securing a majority in the elections while Yunus, currently swimming in the strong currents of anarchic, violent, volatile politics of the country, insists on implementing democratic reforms first and push back polls to June 2026. Last month, BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman urged the youth and the people of the country to ensure that elections take place by December. (IANS)

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