One Year After Hasina’s Fall, Bangladesh Waits for Democratic Restoration

New Delhi, 29 Jul. 25

Bangladesh’s interim government is anticipated to announce national elections within the first week of August 2025, according to media reports. Most likely, the announcement will take place on the first anniversary of the large-scale demonstrations that overthrew the Sheikh Hasina-led administration in August 2024. Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, the interim government’s chief adviser, is expected to make the news in a nationwide address. Elections to reinstate a politically mandated government are anticipated to occur in early February 2026.

Since it does not currently have an elected mandate, there has been increasing pressure on the interim administration to organise elections. Elections must take place by December 2025, according to political groups, especially the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), although these requests seem to have been rejected. Tarique Rahman, the acting BNP chairman, met with Yunus, the chief adviser, while in London in June. According to a joint statement released after the meeting, national elections may take place in the week leading up to Ramadan in 2026 if all the necessary arrangements are made.

The BNP remains hopeful that the announcement of the election date will come soon. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir recently stated that the party would welcome such an announcement, as it aligns with their core demand. Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, a hardline Islamist party that has shown support for Yunus, is reportedly opposed to declaring an election date at this time. Critics allege that Yunus has retained power with the backing of Jamaat-e-Islami. Following the ousting of Hasina’s government, the ban on Jamaat was lifted, and its registration with the Election Commission was restored, enabling it to contest upcoming elections.

Despite calls for clarity on the election timeline, Yunus has so far refrained from making a formal announcement. However, after holding meetings with representatives from various political parties, he emphasized the need for unity to prevent disruptions to the electoral process. Yunus warned that failure to unite all forces that participated in the 2024 uprising could result in a missed opportunity for democratic transition. He expressed confidence that no conspiracy would derail the democratic process, stressing the shared commitment of democratic forces to resist authoritarianism.

Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was removed from power in a student-led uprising and later charged with crimes against humanity, including incitement, conspiracy, and issuing orders that allegedly led to mass killings. The upcoming elections, if announced, would mark a critical step in restoring democratic governance in Bangladesh.