Bangladesh to hold election and referendum simultaneously in February: Yunus

Dhaka, Nov 13 (IANS) Bangladesh interim government’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on Thursday announced that the country will hold election and referendum simultaneously in the first half of February 2026, local media reported.

In his address to people of Bangladesh on Thursday, Yunus said, “The referendum will take place in the first half of February simultaneously with the general election. This will not in any way hinder the goals of reform; rather, it will make the election more festive and cost-effective.”

“Appropriate law will be formulated in due time to facilitate the holding of the referendum. We are taking all-out preparations to hold the election in a festive atmosphere,” he added, the United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported.

He said that Bangladesh government has adopted several key provisions to implement the July Charter, adding, “These include holding a referendum on the charter’s proposed constitutional reforms and subsequently forming a Constitutional Reform Council.”

Yunus’ announcement came after eight Islamist parties on Tuesday warned that the polls cannot take place without granting legal recognition to the July Charter. Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolon are among the eight like-minded parties that have raised this demand.

While addressing a rally at Dhaka’s Paltan intersection on Tuesday, top leaders of the eight parties issued the warning while reiterating their demand for a referendum before the upcoming elections. The leaders further threatened that if the demands were not addressed, they would besiege the official residence of Muhammad Yunus.

According to a press release issued by Islami Andolon Bangladesh, the leaders of the Islamist parties expressed concern over the Yunus-led interim government’s failure to decide on the legal status of the July charter and to hold a referendum before the election.

“Our demand is simple: the July uprising must be recognised. Those who don’t accept July will not see an election in 2026. To hold that election, the uprising must first receive legal recognition. Without it, no polls can take place,” Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star, quoted Jamaat leader Shafiqur Rahman as saying during the rally.

Addressing the interim government and reiterating the party’s call for the referendum before the polls, Islami Andolon leader Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim said, “If legal recognition [of the charter] is not given, the election will be illegal. If you don’t act, we’ll launch a movement strong enough to compel you to hold the referendum before the polls.”

Jamaat leader Hamidur Rahman Azad also warned the interim government, saying, “We don’t want to march from here to the Jamuna for a siege. Implement the July charter without delay and announce the referendum schedule.”

Amid the escalating political tensions, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) proposes holding the referendum alongside the national elections in February 2026, while Jamaat and other Islamist parties are hell-bent on holding it before the polls.

Bangladesh continues to face growing uncertainty and political turmoil ahead of next year’s election.

The parties that earlier collaborated with Yunus to overthrow the democratically elected government of the Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, are now at loggerheads over reform proposals.

–IANS

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