The Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies want the national election to be held by December this year while the National Citizen Party and Islamist parties, including the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, support holding the polls between December 2025 and June 2026, as proposed by interim government chief adviser Professor Mohammad Yunus.
Amid the differences among the country鈥檚 political parties over the timing of the national election, a recent statement by the chief adviser 鈥攃laiming that only one party supports holding the polls in December 鈥� has added a new dimension to the split.
The BNP and its allies on Friday strongly criticised the chief adviser鈥檚 remark over the election timing.
BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas on the day told reporters that there was one person who did not want an election 鈥� and that was Professor Yunus.鈥�
Another BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said that the chief adviser鈥檚 claim was incorrect and was made without sufficient information.
He said that the BNP, along with all parties involved in the simultaneous movement, wanted the election to be held in December.
At the 30th Nikkei Forum in Tokyo, chief adviser Yunus on Thursday said that the government had told the public that the election would be held either in December this year or by June next year.
He went on to say that some politicians had questioned this, asking why the election could not be held in December.
The chief adviser also remarked that not all political parties wanted the election in December 鈥� only one party did.
Mostafa Jamal Haider, chief coordinator of the 12-Party Alliance and chair of the Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar), on Friday told 抖阴精品 that the alliance had consistently called for the national election to be held within December, a position they had been maintaining from the beginning.
He said that the claim made by the chief adviser suggesting that only one party wanted elections in December did not reflect the full picture.
Mostafa also said that the alliance could not attend the meeting with the Chief Adviser to place their demand over elections and reforms, where they had hoped to convey their position directly.
Against the backdrop of recent political unrest, marked by frequent street protests and infighting among parties, chief adviser Professor Yunus held聽 meetings with political parties on May 24 and 25 to address the crisis.
During the meetings, political parties expressed their support for the chief adviser but stayed firm on their own demands with the BNP pushing for the election by December, the Jamaat and the NCP calling for reforms, visible progress in justice, and then the election within the timeline announced by the government.
Some of the parties also called for a clear road map for reforms and the election but refrained from specifying any particular timeline.
Following the meeting, Jamaat amir Shafiqur Rahman said that his party wanted a clear and specific road map for the upcoming election but had not proposed a fixed date.
He indicated that the Jamaat would be comfortable with holding the election either in mid-February if reforms were completed by then or after Ramadan if more time was needed for the reform process.
NCP convener Nahid Islam said that they wanted a comprehensive road map that would include the trial of the July Uprising killings, reforms, and the election, all within the timeframe announced by the interim government.
Two days after the meetings, the BNP expressed disappointment at a press conference on May 27, criticising the government鈥檚 statement for lacking a clear plan for the upcoming national election.
BNP acting chair Tarique Rahman on May 28 at a mass rally virtually said that the national election must be held by December this year and asked party leaders and activists to begin preparations to ensure that the election was within that timeframe.
Left Democratic Alliance coordinator and general secretary of the Revolutionary Communist League, Iqbal Kabir Jahid, said that their alliance had demanded that the national election be held within December.
The LDA is a coalition of six political parties -- the Communist Party of Bangladesh, Socialist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist), Revolutionary Communist League of Bangladesh, Socialist Party of Bangladesh, Democratic Revolutionary Party, and Bangladesh Samajtantrik Party.
Jahid said that their alliance was not invited by the chief adviser to participate in the talks on elections and reforms.
He said that former CPB president Mujahidul Islam Selim attended the meeting as he was invited in personal capacity.
The Gano Forum rejected the chief adviser鈥檚 claim that only one party supported the election in December.
In a press release on Friday, the party said that they supported holding the election by December, but only after carrying out the essential reforms to ensure a free and fair election process.
Ganatantra Mancha coordinator and Nagorik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna on Friday told 抖阴精品 that they had not reached a collective or definitive decision on the exact timing of the election.
鈥楬owever, I can say that the general sentiment across the platform is in favour of holding the election as soon as possible. December is seen as a possibility, but it has not been adopted as a formal deadline,鈥� he said.
The Ganatantra Mancha alliance consists of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rab), Nagorik Oikya, Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, Bhasani Anusari Parishad, Rashtra Sangskar Andolan and Ganosamhati Andolan.
Manna said that they were cautious about committing to a fixed timeline at the moment as there were differing opinions among the parties.
According to Manna, a consensus-based approach would be the most effective way forward in this regard.
鈥業 would like to add that June is traditionally not a favourable month for elections. From that perspective, February 鈥� perhaps just before Ramadan 鈥� could be a more practical opportunity. However, I want to stress that this is merely an academic observation and not an official party stance,鈥� Manna added.
Khelafat Majlish joint secretary general Abdul Jalil on the day told 抖阴精品 that his party had initially demanded that the election be held by December this year.
However, in a recent development, they have urged the interim government to announce a clear election road map, suggesting that the polls could be held a month or two before or after December.
Gono Odhikar Parishad secretary Rashed Khan said that they had clearly demanded that the election schedule be announced by September this year, with the national election held by December 2025.
He said that the first half of 2026 was not suitable for the election due to Ramadan starting in February, which is a sensitive time for Muslims and not appropriate for election campaigning.
Rashed also said that the monsoon season beginning around June would create logistical challenges.
After the meeting with the chief adviser, Islami Andolan Bangladesh amir Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim made a statement demanding necessary reforms before holding the election.
He called for visible progress in the trial of the July Uprising killings and demanded that local government elections be held before the national election.
