Bangladesh to Hold National Elections in April 2026, Interim Leader Yunus Announces

Bangladesh to Hold National Elections in April 2026, Interim Leader Yunus Announces
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Interim leader Muhammad Yunus announced on Saturday that Bangladesh will hold national elections in the first half of April 2026, Anadolu Agency reported. Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been leading the country since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted last August amid a student-led uprising.

In a televised address, Yunus emphasized the government’s focus on reforms, justice, and elections, stressing the need for institutional overhaul to ensure transparent and participatory elections. The election commission will release a detailed roadmap in due course.

The announcement comes amid pressure from political parties, especially the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which had called for elections by December 2025. The BNP expressed disappointment with the timeline.

Following the crackdown on protests last year, which the UN reported killed up to 1,400 people, Hasina faces a tribunal on charges of crimes against humanity. Her party, the Awami League, had its registration suspended last month.