Bangladesh on the Election Train

Dr. Yunus on Tarique Rahman's Proposal: 'If preparations are complete, elections can even be held in the week before Ramadan.The Daily Dazzling Dawn had reported on the possibility of a consensus regarding the election two days ago.The holy month of Ramadan could begin around February 17th next year, depending on the sighting of the moon. If an election is to be held, voting would need to take place a few days before that. In that scenario, a likely election date would be Thursday, February 12th, which is the week before Ramadan. Several elections have been held on Thursdays in the past. It's believed that holding the election on February 12th would allow all election-related formalities to be completed before Ramadan. Since the following two days, Friday and Saturday, are public holidays, voting cannot take place then. If the election were held after that, the Election Commission wouldn't be able to finalize all formalities before Ramadan.

Following a meeting between Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and Acting BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman in London on Friday, National Security Adviser Dr. Khalilur Rahman and BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury attended a joint press conference. Statements made at the press conference and in a joint declaration indicate an emerging consensus regarding the election date.

A joint statement was issued today concerning the meeting between Mr. Tarique Rahman, Acting Chairman of the BNP, and Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser currently visiting London. The statement reported that their meeting took place in an extremely cordial atmosphere.

According to the statement, Tarique Rahman proposed to the Chief Adviser that the election be held before next year's Ramadan. BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia also believes that holding the election at that time would be beneficial.

The Chief Adviser stated that he has announced elections to be held by the first half of April next year. If all preparations are completed, elections could even be organized in the week prior to the start of Ramadan in 2026. In that case, sufficient progress on reforms and judicial matters would need to be achieved by then.

Mr. Tarique Rahman welcomed the Chief Adviser's position and extended his party's gratitude to him. The Chief Adviser also thanked Mr. Tarique Rahman for the fruitful discussion.