Dr. Yunus: Elections will be held as soon as possible, could take place in December

Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Advisor of Bangladesh‍‍`s interim government, has confirmed that elections will be held as soon as possible. 

He even mentioned that the elections could potentially take place this December.

The statement came during his participation in a session at the World Government Summit in Dubai on Thursday, where he spoke with CNN‍‍`s Becky Anderson.

When Anderson asked about the government’s plans, Dr. Yunus shared that the interim government has been working on reforms in 15 different sectors. 

He explained, "We have created reforms for 15 different sectors. Commissions on law and order, police, the constitution, elections, and others have submitted their reports, with various suggestions. The next step is to create a consensus."

He added, "We are holding discussions with political parties to develop a ‍‍`charter‍‍` based on the recommendations that everyone can agree on. Once that is finalized, we will implement it and then proceed with holding the elections. We are working towards holding the elections as soon as possible, and it could happen in December this year."

Dr. Yunus also shared how Bangladesh was in a difficult state when his government took over. "Everything was in ruins. The economy, society, and administration were all shattered. Our job is to rebuild everything," he said. He highlighted that the banking system had collapsed, with $16 billion being lost, and the country‍‍`s reserves were at an all-time low. "Our focus now is on fixing the economy, law and order, and then rebuilding the institutions."

When asked if he planned to stay in power after the elections, Dr. Yunus replied, "I’ve been clear about this before. Once the elected government takes over, I will go back to the work I was doing before because that’s where I find joy."

This announcement has sparked further interest in how quickly Bangladesh’s political landscape will transform in the coming months.