Bangladesh will have elections in the first week of February 2026. The Election Commission chief of Bangladesh announced in this regard on Saturday. He said that ensuring elections in an independent and fair manner still remains a major challenge. However, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin said that the exact date would be revealed two months before the announcement of the program.
The Government Bangladesh Sangabad Sanstha (BSS) quoted Nasir Uddin at a function in the north-western Rangpur district as saying that the trust of the people has decreased on the Election Commission and the election process, but they and his team are trying to bring back this trust.
CEC statement came four days after Younus’s announcement
The CEC statement came at a time when Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Advisor of the Interim Government, announced that elections will be held in February next year. Yunus made this announcement on 5 August on the occasion of the first anniversary of the dismissed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government to be ousted from power. Let us know that the 13th parliamentary elections will be held in February 2026.
Law and order still stable in the country: Nasir Uddin
Nasir Uddi attended a meeting with Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of eight districts of Rangpur division on the issue of law and order at the Divisional Commissioner Office in Rangpur. During this, CEC Uddin said that people are not taking interest in voting, but if the Election Commission fulfills its responsibility and follows the rules, then the atmosphere will be fine. He claimed that the law and order is still stable and it will be further improved at the time of elections, so that people can vote without fear.
BNP emerged as the largest party in the absence of Awami League
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has emerged as the largest party in the absence of Awami League, as the Yunus government has abolished its activities under an executive order. BNP’s self-reliant acting president and son of Jia, Tariq Rahman, said on Friday that the party and its equal ideological alliances will participate in the elections to be held in February as a coalition.
BNP made distance from its important colleague Jamaat-e-Islami
The BNP had previously formed an alliance of 12 parties, which included most of the mid-south and a leftist parties, but now the party has clearly distanced himself from the most important ally, extreme-south-sided Jamaat-e-Islami. Jamaat was a prominent ally in the coalition government of four BNP -led parties, who ruled the country from 2001 to 2006.
Jamaat-e-Islami was included in the coalition in the 2018 election
Earlier in the 2018 national election, BNP included Jamaat-e-Islami in its election alliance, but since the Awami League government was ousted from power last year, the rift between them has been clearly visible. Analysts say that BNP’s decision to distance away from Jamaat was both political and strategic, as it would make BNP’s image more generous and contemporary in front of civil society, youth and middle political forces.
Awami League government fell after violent protest of SAD
It is worth noting that on 5 August 2024, the Awami League government fell after violent protests by the student organization Students Against Description (SAD). Three days later, Sheikh Hasina left the country, and on August 8, Muhammad Yunus took over as Chief Advisor to the Interim Government. A large branch of SAD formed the Citizen Party (NCP) in February this year.