Elections in Bangladesh in April, 2026
NEW DELHI, June 6: The Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus said on Friday that elections in the country would be held in April 2026.
These will be the first elections in Bangladesh since a mass uprising overthrew the government last year, that resulted in the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina flee the country to India.
“I am announcing to the citizens of the country that the election will be held on any day in the first half of April 2026,” Mr Yunus the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who leads the caretaker government said.
Last year, Bangladesh saw a significant political upheaval as widespread protests led to the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August, who currently is in exile in India. The unrest was ignited by demands for reforms in the government’s job quota system, but it quickly escalated into a broader movement against corruption as well.
Protests intensified across the country leading to violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces. The government’s response included deploying the military and imposing curfews, resulting in over 300 deaths and more than 10,000 arrests.
After Sheikh Hasina’s exit, the military announced the formation of an interim government, with Muhammad Yunus appointed as chief adviser. The interim administration pledged to implement judicial and institutional reforms and to hold free and fair elections by June 2026.
(Manas Dasgupta)
