Bangladesh elections expected between Dec 2025 and June 2026, says Muhammad Yunus

In response to growing public and political pressure for fresh elections, Bangladesh’s Interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus announced that the next national elections may take place anytime between December 2025 and June 2026.Yunus, currently on an official four-day Japan visit, made the announcement at a public gathering in Tokyo. The interim government advisor’s remarks came the same day as the three affiliated organisations of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) – Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Jubo Dal and Swechchhasebak Dal – held a massive rally in Dhaka, calling for the restoration of “political rights of the youth.”
According to Yunus, the next national elections could take place as early as December 2025, or no later than June 2026. In his address, he mentioned that the government has been working on electoral and governance reforms and that depending on the pace of those reforms, elections may be held as early as December or as late as June next year.
“When elections take place an elected government takes over responsibility and we hand it over to them. People are insisting on telling them when the elections will be because the politicians are very impatient to get to their seats of power. So I have been promising them for some time. It could be in December this year or at the latest June of 2026, so a month gap, depending on how fast we can do the reforms,” he said.Read More

: Why Bangladesh is facing protests, election pressure, and rising political tensions“If the reforms are slow and accomplish little, then we have a longer time. And the longer time cannot continue endlessly. Must finish it by June 2026. So this is the timeline we are working on,” he added.

The BNP held large-scale rallies in several locations, including Dhaka, to press their demand for national elections to be held by December. BNP Acting Chairperson Tarique Rahman issued a warning to the interim administration and also urged them not to postpone the election date.

I often make a point that bears repeating: reforming individual mindsets is far more important than reforming texts or institutions on paper. After all, the constitution of North Korea proclaims the country to be the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” The words may be… pic.twitter.com/Jz8AGQxYJf

– Tarique Rahman (@Trahmanbnp) May 28, 2025

In an X post, he wrote, “I often make a point that bears repeating: reforming individual mindsets is far more important than reforming texts or institutions on paper. After all, the constitution of North Korea proclaims the country to be the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” The words may be there, but it is adherence, not articulation, that defines democratic integrity.”

“And yet, ten months into its tenure, the interim administration has still not announced an election date. The people of Bangladesh deserve better. We seek a nation free from authoritarianism, led by a government elected through a fair vote, and accountable to its citizens. The call to the interim government is simple: ensure that national elections are held by December,” he added.

Earlier, the BNS urged Muhammad Yunus to remove two students from his cabinet. Speaking with ANI, a senior official said that it has also demanded to remove National Security Adviser (Khalilur Rahman) from the interim government.