The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Monday urged the interim government to promptly inform the Election Commission of the decisions made during a recent meeting between chief adviser Muhammad Yunus and the party acting chairman Tarique Rahman in London regarding the upcoming general election, tentatively scheduled for February 2026.
The party standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, addressing a discussion at the National Press Club in the capital, also emphasised the need for swift action to ensure a democratic transition in the country.
The discussion titled 鈥楥urrent Political Situation and National Budget for FY 2025鈥�26 in the Vision of a Welfare State鈥� was organised by the Nagorik Oikya.
鈥業 hope that the decisions taken in London will be conveyed to the Election Commission through appropriate process. The commission should be able to inform the public that it has received a directive or advisory communication from the government,鈥� Salahuddin said.
The BNP leader鈥檚 demand came a day after chief election commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin鈥檚 Sunday remarks that he was aware of the announcement in London only through the media.
Talking to journalists at his office in the capital鈥檚 Agargaon area, he said, 鈥榃hat was announced in London is nothing more than what we have seen in the media. The joint statement released is unsigned, and I cannot ascertain its authenticity. If it had been signed by representatives of the government or any political party, we could have considered it an official document,鈥� he said.
According to a joint statement issued following the London meeting on June 13, Tarique Rahman had proposed to the chief adviser that the elections be held before Ramadan next year and that BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia was also of the view that it would be preferable to hold the election during that period.
In response, the chief adviser said the election could take place in the week before beginning Ramadan in 2026, provided all preparations were complete.
鈥業n that case, sufficient progress on reforms and justice will need to be made by that time,鈥� Professor Yunus was quoted in the statement as saying.
Addressing speculation about discussions on indemnity for the interim government during the London meeting, Salahuddin told the discussion at the National Press Club that there was no talk in London about indemnity for anyone.
He said that the Advisory Council had been formed with constitutional legitimacy and in accordance with Article 106 and the Supreme Court鈥檚 advisory provisions.
Salahuddin said that since the constitution was currently in effect, the government was operating within a constitutional framework, and that, as per the constitution, advisers would hold the status of ministers and must meet the qualifications required to become ministers.
鈥楥onstitutionally, this government will need ratification in the next parliament. If ratification is required, we will also consider how and where this legitimacy will be granted,鈥� he said.
鈥楽o, for the sake of democracy and the people, you must take actions that will enable us to move swiftly towards a democratic transition,鈥� Salahuddin added.
Presided over by Nagorik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna, the discussion was also addressed, among others, by Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh general secretary Saiful Haque, Bhashani Janashakti Party president Sheikh Rafiqul Islam Bablu, AB Party president Mujibur Rahman Manju and Ganosamhati Andolan executive coordinator Abul Hasan Rubel.
In an another development, BNP standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan on Monday said that the people of Bangladesh were eagerly waiting for the opportunity to vote in a festive mood.
He made the remarks at BNP chairperson鈥檚 office in the capital鈥檚 Gulshan area after a meeting between British high commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cook and a BNP delegation led by the party secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
The BNP delegation also included Moyeen Khan and BNP organising secretary Shama Obaid.
Following the meeting, Moyeen Khan said that the discussion with the British high commissioner covered a wide range of issues including the country鈥檚 political situation, education, economy, healthcare and ongoing instability in the Middle East.
He said that the envoy shared her views on how she hoped to see Bangladesh鈥檚 progress in the future.
Moyeen Khan referenced the significance of the June 13 London meeting between Muhammad Yunus and Tarique Rahman and said that it had brought about a qualitative change in the political landscape of Bangladesh.
He said that this shift could not be denied as people were now more hopeful and believed that democracy, the very principle on which Bangladesh was founded, would return to the country.
