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People celebrate as the interim government in Bangladesh officially bans all activities of the Bangladesh Awami League until the party and its leader face trial, following protesters’ demands, in Dhaka on May 10, 2025. — Reuters
DHAKA: The Bangladesh Election Commission is set to announce the date for upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for February, a commission official said, following a student-led uprising that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024.
Since August of last year, Bangladesh has been under interim administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, after long-time leader Sheikh Hasina fled to India amid intense street protests against her government.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin will reveal the election timetable during a national broadcast at 6 p.m. (1200 GMT), senior Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told reporters.
On the same day, a national referendum on implementing the “July Charter”—a proposed overhaul of the state’s institutions drafted in the wake of unrest—is also expected.
The charter calls for broad reforms, including reducing executive powers, bolstering judicial and electoral independence, and curbing the misuse of law enforcement agencies.
Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party is widely considered the frontrunner in the upcoming polls, competing alongside Jamaat-e-Islami, which has returned to electoral politics after the interim government eased restrictions.
Jamaat, Bangladesh’s largest Islamic party, was barred from contesting elections following a 2013 court ruling that its registration conflicted with the country’s secular constitution. Bangladesh, with a population of 173 million, is a Muslim-majority country.
Hasina’s Awami League, which has been prohibited from participating in the election, has warned of unrest if the ban remains in place.
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