As Debate Over Bangladesh Election Intensifies, A Tussle Over Dates

Bangladesh's Election Commission (EC) has declared that it's ready to hold the fresh parliamentary election in the country, but confusion persists on the timing. Nationwide polls are due in the South Asian nation after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted last year following a nationwide protest.

The elections are expected to take place before the first half of April 2026, but so far, no formal discussion has taken place between the government and the EC regarding the timing of the polls, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin said on Sunday, according to a report by Bangladesh daily Prothom Alo. 

BNP's Request

Meanwhile, Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus met with the leader of the nation's key Opposition party--the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) -- in London last Friday. During the meeting, BNP's Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman reportedly proposed to hold the national election before Ramadan 2026 as opposed to the Yunus Government's proposal for April next year. 

BNP is expected to be the frontrunner in the elections, and the party has earlier demanded that the polls should be held by December 2025. 

BNP Acting Chairman @trahmanbnp and @ChiefAdviserGoB Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus held a meeting today in London.

During the meeting, Tarique Rahman proposed holding the national election before Ramadan 2026. The Chief Advisor reiterated his plan to hold the election in the… pic.twitter.com/RKvf83nX37

— Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP (@bdbnp78) June 13, 2025

"The Chief Advisor reiterated his plan to hold the election in the first half of April 2026 and added that, subject to necessary reforms and progress in justice, it could be held even a week before Ramadan. BNP welcomes this position," the BNP said in a post on social media platform X.

In 2026, Ramadan is expected to start from the evening of Tuesday, February 17, till Wednesday, March 18. However, these are the tentative dates, and their confirmation depends on sighting of the new moon, specifically the crescent moon, at the start of the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Every year, the dates for Ramadan move 10-11 days earlier because it is a lunar calendar.

Election Commission's Plan

When asked about BNP's demands, the Chief Election Commissioner told Bangladeshi media that he only heard about the demands of holding elections in February/March via the media and did not have any further information. He hinted that if the government wants, the Election Commission would announce elections earlier than April.

He said that for now, the Election Commission is focusing solely on preparations to ensure that whenever the election takes place and is ready to deliver.

Government's Criticism

Critics of Muhammad Yunus have accused him of delaying elections to stay in power longer than envisaged when the interim government was sworn in. But the Yunus-led government has maintained that elections without reform will not make sense, and the government needs time to implement reforms before holding elections.

According to electoral law in Bangladesh, election dates are announced officially through a gazette notification issued by the government, and the law does not allow such announcements six to eight months in advance. However, political observers say the announcement by the elected government is a formal practice, but informally, dates are known way before elections are announced. Voters' lists in Bangladesh are being revised and are expected to be ready by February/March next year.

Meanwhile, Hasina's party-- the Bangladesh Awami League--which was ousted in August last year, said, "Yunus sounds clearly like he is lying about having 'the most beautiful election ever.' (Not possible when he illegally banned the largest party and unlawfully put over 100 MPs in jail)."

 "A discussion with Tarique Rahman revealed that there was a scheme to stage an orchestrated and rigged election, excluding 50 per cent of voters from the electoral process," Hasina's party added.