Yunus’s April polls plan falls short of expectation, says BNP’s Salahuddin

The “promise” made by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus to hold the next general election in the first half of April next year has failed to meet the nation’s expectations, says BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed.

On Friday, Salahuddin said: “The chief advisor’s speech did not live up to the expectations of the nation. We are holding an emergency Standing Committee meeting at 9pm, chaired by our party’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman. It will be discussed there.

“We will also hold discussions with our allies and other political parties before giving a more detailed response.”

Earlier, Yunus addressed the nation and said: “After reviewing the ongoing reforms related to justice, governance, and elections, I hereby announce that the next general election will be held in the first half of April 2026.

“Based on this announcement, the Election Commission will, in due course, present a detailed roadmap for the elections.”

The BNP and several other political parties have been demanding that elections be held by December.

Jamaat-e-Islami has said it prefers the general election to be held by April. However, the party has been vocal about their preference for holding local government elections before the national polls.

Yunus had previously said that the timing of the election would depend on the extent of reforms achieved.

According to him, if key reforms were completed, elections could be held as early as December. With more extensive reforms, the polls could take place by June next year. He also said that elections would not be pushed beyond June.