Bangladesh to hold election in first half of April 2026, interim PM says, Asia News
DHAKA - Bangladesh will hold a national election in the first half of April 2026, its de facto premier said on Friday (June 6), after a period of interim unelected government since student-led unrest in 2024 toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
The administration led by Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been running the South Asian nation of 173 million people since August, when Hasina fled to India in the face of deadly street protests against her government.
Yunus' administration, however, has also faced serious discontent in recent weeks, with protests breaking out last month over wage demands and orders relating to the dismissal of public servants for misconduct without lengthy procedures.
"After reviewing the ongoing reform activities..., I am announcing to the people today that the next national election will be held on any day in the first half of April 2026," Yunus said in an address to the nation on Friday.
The election commission would provide a detailed roadmap for the vote at an appropriate time, said Yunus, who is not aligned with any party and has said he is not interested in running.
Opposition groups, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), had been demanding early elections, warning of instability and "strong resentment within the people" if a vote were not held by December.
The BNP's leader and former prime minister, Khaleda Zia, was acquitted in January in a 2008 corruption case, paving the way for her to run in the next election.
Hasina's Awami League party was effectively barred from contesting the polls when the elections commission suspended its registration last month.
Yunus' government had earlier banned all Awami League activities under the Anti-Terrorism Act after days of protests, citing national security threats.
Hasina, credited with turning around the economy but accused of human rights violations and the suppression of dissent, won a fourth straight term in 2024, but the vote was boycotted by the main opposition, whose top leaders were in jail or in exile.
[[nid:714397]]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Straits Times
Ukraine's Zelensky seeks strong Poland ties before nationalist takes office
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) welcoming Polish President Andrzej Duda to Kyiv, on June 28. PHOTO: EPA WARSAW/KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 28 it was 'extremely important' for Kyiv to maintain friendly ties with neighbouring Poland, where incoming nationalist leader Karol Nawrocki opposes Ukraine's Nato bid. Mr Nawrocki won Poland's presidential election this month after a campaign in which he criticised Ukraine and accused Mr Zelensky of 'indecent' behaviour towards his allies. Poland is one of Ukraine's closest allies and has served as a crucial logistics hub for Western military aid to help Kyiv's war effort against Russia's now more than three-year-long invasion. Mr Zelensky hosted outgoing Polish President Andrzej Duda in Kyiv on June 28, ahead of Mr Nawrocki's inauguration on Aug 6. 'Poland is now preparing for the inauguration of its new president, (Karol) Nawrocki,' Mr Zelensky told reporters alongside Mr Duda. 'We will do everything in our power to ensure that relations between our countries only grow stronger.' He added it was 'extremely important' to preserve mutual support and understanding between the two nations. Poland has taken in over a million Ukrainians since Russia's invasion of the country began in 2022. But anti-Ukrainian sentiment has grown in recent years, intensifying during the election campaign. In May, Mr Nawrocki said Ukraine 'has not shown gratitude for what Poles have done' and accused Mr Zelensky of 'insolence'. While pledging to back Ukraine's war effort, Mr Nawrocki has criticised some of the support measures granted to Ukrainian refugees. Mr Duda said he believed Mr Nawrocki would 'build the best possible neighbourly relations' for the future of both countries. 'From behind the president's desk, the world looks a little different than... especially from the position of a candidate in the elections,' Mr Duda said, when asked about Mr Nawrocki's future ties with Ukraine. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
18 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump dismisses reports US is weighing up to $30 billion civilian nuclear deal for Iran
A man walks past an anti-US mural on a street in Tehran, Iran, June 5, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY FILE PHOTO: People walk past an anti-US mural on a street in Tehran, Iran, June 5, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo Trump dismisses reports US is weighing up to $30 billion civilian nuclear deal for Iran WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed media reports that said his administration had discussed possibly helping Iran access as much as $30 billion to build a civilian-energy-producing nuclear program. CNN reported on Thursday and NBC News reported on Friday that the Trump administration in recent days had explored possible economic incentives for Iran in return for its government halting uranium enrichment. The reports cited sources. CNN cited officials as saying that several proposals were floated and were preliminary. "Who in the Fake News Media is the SleazeBag saying that 'President Trump wants to give Iran $30 Billion to build non-military Nuclear facilities.' Never heard of this ridiculous idea," Trump wrote on Truth Social late on Friday, calling the reports a "HOAX." Since April, Iran and the U.S. have held indirect talks aimed at finding a new diplomatic solution regarding Iran's nuclear program. Tehran says its program is peaceful and Washington says it wants to ensure Iran cannot build a nuclear weapon. Trump, earlier this week, announced a ceasefire between U.S. ally Israel and its regional rival Iran to halt a war that began on June 13 when Israel attacked Iran. The Israel-Iran conflict had raised alarms in a region already on edge since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023. The U.S. struck Iran's nuclear sites over the last weekend and Iran targeted a U.S. base in Qatar on Monday in retaliation, before Trump announced the ceasefire. Israel is the only Middle Eastern country widely believed to have nuclear weapons and said its war against Iran aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons. Iran is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while Israel is not. The U.N. nuclear watchdog, which carries out inspections in Iran, has said it has "no credible indication" of an active, coordinated weapons programme in Iran. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
21 hours ago
- Straits Times
University of Virginia president resigns under pressure from Trump on DEI policies
Mr James Ryan concluded that resisting Trump officials' demands would put the school's students and faculty at risk. PHOTO: KIRSTEN LUCE/NYTIMES University of Virginia president resigns under pressure from Trump on DEI policies The president of the University of Virginia, Mr James Ryan, resigned on June 27 under pressure from President Donald Trump's administration over the school's diversity, equity and inclusion policies. In a letter to the UVA community, Mr Ryan said he had made the 'excruciating decision' to step down after concluding that resisting Trump officials' demands would put the school's students and faculty at risk. 'I cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my own job,' he wrote. 'To do so would not only be quixotic but appear selfish and self-centered to the hundreds of employees who would lose their jobs, the researchers who would lose their funding, and the hundreds of students who could lose financial aid or have their visas withheld.' Virginia's Democratic US senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, called the Trump administration's demand 'outrageous' in a joint statement and said Mr Ryan's departure would hurt the university and the state. It was not clear whether Mr Ryan's resignation would take effect immediately. Earlier, the New York Times had reported that the Justice Department had demanded his resignation, and he decided to capitulate. The administration has launched a campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion and targeted colleges and universities that it has claimed are pushing antisemitic, anti-American, Marxist and 'radical left' ideologies. Universities that have been investigated or have had funds frozen have said that Mr Trump's attacks are threats to freedom of speech, freedom of academics and the schools' very existence. In a warning issued to UVA last week, the Justice Department said the government had concluded that the use of race in admissions and other student benefits were 'widespread practices throughout every component and facet of the institution,' according to the Times. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
