CA reiterates 2 possible polls timelines

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has once again said the next general election will likely be held in December 2025 or by mid-2026.

He shared the two possible timelines for the election when British parliamentarian Rupa Huq, who is on a three-day visit as part of a business delegation from the UK, met Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna yesterday.

“The election date depends on how much reform people want,” Yunus told Rupa, while assuring her that the next general election would be free and fair.

In response, Rupa expressed willingness to return to Bangladesh to observe the election.

“People could not vote in the last three elections. There was a fake parliament; fake MPs and a fake Speaker. The whole country got their voice back, which was taken away forcibly,” said Yunus.

Photo: PID

During the meeting, Rupa also enquired about the reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government and the political parties’ participation in those initiatives.

Yunus told Rupa about the repression of the people during the regime of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and explained how it led to the July uprising.

James Goldman, deputy high commissioner and development director of the British High Commission in Dhaka, was also present at the meeting.

Earlier, Rupa met Special Envoy to Chief Adviser Lutfey Siddiqi, BIDA Chairman Ashik Mahmud Chowdhury, and Senior Secretary for SDG Affairs Lamiya Morshed over trade and investment in Bangladesh.

A delegation from UKBCCI is currently on a three-day visit to Bangladesh.

UKBCCI Chairman Iqbal Ahmed OBE and UKBCCI President MG Moula Mia are leading the delegation.

Siddiqi invited British businesspeople, including those of Bangladesh origin, to invest in the country, saying the interim government has undertaken sweeping reforms to attract foreign direct investment.