The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has expressed strong disappointment over Chief Advisor Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus’s announcement that the next national election will be held in early April 2026.
In response, the party has reiterated its demand for elections to be held within December of this year.
In a statement released on Saturday morning, the BNP’s highest policy-making forum criticized the proposed election timeline, calling it unrealistic and dismissive of the people`s aspirations.
The statement highlighted the significant sacrifices made by students and the general public during the July-August 2024 movement that led to the restoration of voting rights, emphasizing that further delays in holding elections have only caused frustration and anger among the populace.
The BNP urged consideration of important factors such as the month of Ramadan, ongoing secondary and higher secondary examinations, and adverse weather conditions, arguing these would pose serious challenges to conducting a free and fair election in April.
The announcement follows an emergency virtual meeting chaired by BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman on Friday night, where the party’s top leadership thoroughly reviewed the Chief Advisor’s speech.
The forum concluded that the April election proposal ignored the hopes and demands of a nation that has long struggled to reclaim its voting rights through sustained activism.
The statement also acknowledged the prolonged denial of voting rights to the people for over fifteen years, highlighting repeated instances of enforced disappearances, killings, arrests, attacks, and abuses against those striving to restore democracy through the ballot.
While expressing willingness to form consensus, BNP leaders accused the interim government of being influenced by a particular political faction, thereby compromising its neutrality.
They raised concerns over whether a free and fair election could be conducted under such circumstances, reflecting the public’s growing apprehension.
BNP’s standing committee pointed out that holding elections in early April would coincide with the holy month of Ramadan and unfavorable weather conditions, complicating election campaigning and logistics.
They also criticized the Chief Advisor for failing to provide clear reasons why an election could not be held in December.
The committee further noted that although the Chief Advisor’s speech was intended as a message for Eid-ul-Adha, it effectively became a public address to the nation.
They also expressed disapproval over remarks in the speech that they felt crossed the bounds of political courtesy.
Additionally, the BNP highlighted that Dr. Yunus himself acknowledged in the speech that issues such as port and corridor management do not fall under the caretaker government’s defined responsibilities.
The party remains firm in its call for a timely election within this year and continues to demand respect for the democratic rights of the people.
