
Bangladesh will go to elections in April 2026 following a popular student movement that ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid and led to an interim reformist governance under Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus.
The announcement of election schedule fulfills the demand of political parties eyeing prospects with the exit of Sheikh Wajid, whose controversial governance on political extremism ideology disenchanted large swathes of 170 million Bangladeshi population.
“The government has been doing everything necessary to create an environment conducive to holding the election,” 84-year-old Yunus said in a speech .
He also cautioned his countrymen that the country still needed reforms.
“It should be remembered that Bangladesh has plunged into deep crisis every time it has held a flawed election,” the founder of microfinance bank said.
Yunus, who is looked up to by a large number of young Bangladeshis, reminded the nation of what it had gone through when Hasina Wajid abused power to stifle dissent and opposition.
“A political party usurped power through such elections in the past, and became a barbaric fascist force,” he said.
Hasina Wajid, who was considered a close ally of India, fled the country to take refuge in the largest South Asian country.
Since then, Dhaka has taken several steps to mark a departure form its regional and international policy that depended on New Delhi’s nod.
For instance, Dhaka has revived close ties with Pakistan, rebuffed Indian dictation and cancelled a defense contract with New Delhi, and also opened the country to trade with Pakistan and China.
Internally, people and political parties are still grappling with the implications of Wajid’s despotic policies that stopped democratic advancement in the country.