Photo: Collected
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus' statement about the next elections are unclear and disappointing, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said today (19 December).
Speaking at a press briefing held at the BNP Chairperson's Gulshan Office, he said, "I think there is no problem if the Election Commission takes preparations for conducting elections as they have already been formed. This can be done very quickly.
"We had thought the CA would lay out a specific roadmap with exact dates, which he did not. This has disappointed us and the nation to some extent," Fakhrul said.
Terming the remarks of the CA and his press secretary Shafiqul Islam as contradictory, Fakhrul said, "The CA has said the next elections will be held in late 2025 or early 2026. On the other hand, his press secretary has said the elections will be held within June 2026. This is contradictory. We can't understand exactly which one is correct." Replying to a question, Fakhrul added he did not think the timeframe that the CA had given was logical.
"We have talked about the CA's remarks in detail at our Standing Committee meeting. The committee believes that although the CA has talked about a possible timeframe for the elections, he has not given any specific roadmap," Fakhrul added.
"The Standing Committee thinks there is no need to delay…Elections can be held quickly through carrying out the related reforms. People expect clear messages from the CA regarding this. The committee thinks the government should determine a specific date for the elections through discussions with political parties and other partners," Fakhrul also said.
BNP's Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed was present at the press briefing. On (16 December), Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said the next general election can be held between the end of 2025 and the first half of 2026 after accomplishing necessary state reforms and a commission will be formed soon to build a national consensus, engaging with political parties.
Mentioning that the chief adviser has outlined a clear roadmap for election, the next day Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said the Election Commission will announce the specific date for polls.
"A very clear roadmap has been given regarding the elections. What could be a clearer roadmap than this? Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus mentioned that the elections could take place between December 2025 or 30 June 2026. The exact date will be determined and announced by the Election Commission," he said.
Messenger/Tareq
