Election will be held by June next year under any circumstance, says Yunus in Japan

On a four-day trip to Japan, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus underscored the interim government’s goal of holding a free and proper election by June next year, saying it will be done “under any circumstance.”

Yunus renewed the vow while speaking at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo on Wednesday while meeting former Japanese Prime Minister and Japan-Bangladesh Parliamentary Friendship League (JBPFL) president Taro Aso on the first day of his trip.

Recently, Yunus held discussions with the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, among others amid a spell of political commotion, which was exacerbated by the chief advisor’s “contemplation of resignation”.

After the discussions ended on Sunday, the Chief Advisor’s Press Secretary revealed the details of the meetings at a press briefing.

“He [Yunus] is a man of his word. He repeatedly said that the election would be held between December this year and June next year. The timeline will not stretch even to the 1st of July,” he said.

The election timeline came up during Yunus’s meeting with Aso on Wednesday as well, according to a statement from the Chief Advisor’s Office.

Yunus arrived in Tokyo at 2:05pm local time to attend the Nikkei Forum for Asia and hold bilateral talks with Japanese leaders, it said.

Aso thanked Yunus for moving Bangladesh towards political stability and emphasised the need for a general election for a smooth democratic transition, it added.

The interim prime minister said the government has been prioritising three key areas — reforms, trials of killers during the July movement and a general election.

He also said the interim government has made significant economic progress in restoring discipline in the banking sector, rebuilding the foreign exchange reserves and repaying the debts.

“The previous regime destroyed every institution of our country, forcing the young people to rise up against it. The young people invited me to fix the mess that has been created,” he said.

On Japan’s uninterrupted support, Yunus said: “Japan has given every kind of assistance that we needed in the past ten months. I want to thank Japan a lot for its support. This is, in a way, a thank you tour.”

The interim prime minister invited Aso to visit Bangladesh to witness the changes taking place firsthand.

Several Japanese lawmakers who accompanied Aso during the meeting said that signing the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) could be a step forward in attracting more Japanese investment in Bangladesh.