Bangladesh to hold general elections in April 2026; Opposition demands earlier polls
BNP warned that holding elections in April could conflict with Ramadan, national examinations & weather-related challenges
A file image of Bangladesh interim government chief, Muhammad Yunus. (Photo:X)
New Delhi/Dhaka: Bangladesh will head to the polls in early April 2026, interim leader Muhammad Yunus announced on Friday — setting the stage for the country’s first general election since the mass uprising that toppled the Sheikh Hasina-led government last year.
“I am announcing to the citizens of the country that the election will be held on any day in the first half of April 2026,” said Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate who currently heads the caretaker government. He was addressing the nation in a televised speech.
While Yunus’s announcement offers some clarity on the timeline for restoring democracy, it has been met with mixed reactions.
The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by exiled acting chairman Tarique Rahman, criticised the delay, reiterating its long-standing demand that elections be held by December 2025.
“The unwarranted delay in arranging the election has disappointed and angered the people,” the BNP said in a statement, noting that the public had sacrificed greatly in the July uprising to reclaim their voting rights.
The BNP’s standing committee, which convened an emergency virtual meeting following Yunus’s announcement, warned that holding elections in April could conflict with Ramadan, national examinations, and weather-related challenges — potentially providing excuses for further postponement.
“The meeting believes the people of the country may be rightly concerned about the possibility of a free and fair election under this government,” the party said, adding that Yunus’s speech failed to justify why elections could not be held earlier.
Several other political groups, including the student-led National Citizens Party (NCP) and right-wing organisations, have also raised objections to the proposed timeline, saying elections should follow only after necessary reforms and justice are delivered.
Despite the growing pressure, Yunus has maintained that the interim administration's goal is to ensure a “clean, peaceful, festive, and inclusive” election.
The April 2026 polls are set to be a turning point for Bangladesh, marking its first general election after years of political turmoil and authoritarian rule.
With inputs from PTI