Elections may be held in December, says chief advisor

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has said If political parties reach a consensus on the reform proposals, elections will be held “as soon as possible” after their implementation and “could happen” in December of this year.

He said this in response to a question from CNN journalist Becky Anderson, the moderator of the interactive plenary session at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Thursday.

She asked the Bangladeshi interim prime minister about various issues.

Yunus said, "We have formed reform commissions for 15 sectors. Law and order, police, constitution, elections and other reform commissions have prepared reports with various recommendations."

Highlighting that an attempt will be made to build consensus among political parties based on discussions on the recommendations, Yunus said: "We will prepare a charter with the agreed upon recommendations.

“We will implement them and hold elections as soon as possible. It could happen in December this year."

After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on Aug 5 last year in a mass uprising, an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus took over the running of the state.

Although the government has completed six months, no specific election date has been announced, keeping it under pressure from political parties.

Although the BNP has been demanding elections as soon as possible, interim government advisors and Anti-discrimination Movement leaders insist on completing state reforms first.

The chief advisor had said on Dec 16 that the 13th parliamentary elections could be held by the end of 2025 or the first half of 2026, depending on how the reforms are approved.

However, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who met him on Feb 10, told reporters the chief advisor had “assured” them of holding elections “by December”.

The Election Commission has also said they are preparing for the elections keeping December in mind.

Anderson asked the chief advisor about the challenges faced while carrying out the duties of the interim government.

In response, Yunus said the first challenge now is to fix the law and order situation.

“For the last 15–16 years, she (Sheikh Hasina) has ruled the country without elections, and even when there were elections, they were fake.

“Bangladesh's economic situation and banking sector were destroyed. We are gradually putting everything in order—rebuilding society, institutions, everything.

“16 billion dollars have been laundered from the banks. Our reserves have hit the bottom.”

When asked if he intends to remain in leadership for some more time after the election, Yunus said: “I have made it clear before. After handing over power to the elected government, I will return to the job I was in, because I enjoy it. ''

Chief Advisor Yunus arrived in the UAE to attend the World Government Summit.

In addition to attending the conference, he is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with heads of state and government from various countries.