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Published : 16 Dec 2025, 07:23 PM
Describing the February elections and referendum as a “historic moment that will determine Bangladesh’s future course”, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has called on citizens to protect the vote in order to protect the country.
In his Victory Day address to the nation on Tuesday, Yunus said the future of every citizen -- and of generations to come -- depended on the ballot.
“Your future and mine, and the future of our children, rest on the vote. Vote for the right people and secure the nation’s future,” he said.
He pledged that the government would take all necessary measures to ensure the election was genuinely festive, inclusive, peaceful and, above all, fair.
He also sought the cooperation of political parties to create a credible and calm electoral environment, urging them to treat each other as competitors rather than enemies.
The address was Yunus’s first to the nation since the Election Commission announced the schedule, setting Feb 12 for the simultaneous parliamentary election and referendum.
Yunus said, since assuming office, the interim government had prioritised three key issues: justice for the July–August 2024 killings, essential structural reforms to transition to an accountable and effective democratic system, and the organisation of a fair election.
He said the trials over the killings carried out on the orders of the then “fascist” government during the July Uprising were progressing through due legal process, with a verdict already delivered in one case.
He said that the International Crimes Tribunal, “through an independent, transparent and evidence-based process”, had sentenced deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina to death as the “chief architect of indiscriminate killings of students, workers and ordinary citizens”.
Yunus added that the government had formally requested India to return Hasina and her home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, both convicted by the tribunal.
The chief advisor said several institutional and structural reforms had already been completed, with dozens of outdated laws amended and several new ones enacted.
He described the July National Charter as the most significant reform step, noting that it had been issued to ensure fundamental constitutional changes.
Yunus said it was now up to the people to decide, stressing that citizen approval was required to implement the Charter.
“Your decision in the election is of immense importance. The roadmap for our democratic future begins here,” he said.
He explained that the parliamentary election would be held alongside a referendum on the Charter, allowing voters to express their support or opposition to the reform agenda through a “Yes” or “No” vote.
The outcome, he said, would determine what kind of state Bangladesh aspired to be.
Calling for public awareness, Yunus urged citizens not to see voting as a mere formality.
“This is your active participation in building a new state, the exercise of your democratic rights and a direct contribution to national progress. The ownership of the country lies with the people, and your vote is the signature of that ownership,” he said.
Addressing political parties, he emphasised that their role was vital in preserving the sanctity and credibility of the election. He urged leaders to ensure an environment that would strengthen public confidence in democratic processes.
Recalling past elections under the previous Awami League government, Yunus warned that those who stole ballot boxes were enemies of citizens and robbers of freedom.
“If votes cannot be deposited in the ballot box, the desired future cannot be written,” he said, urging voters to cast their ballots carefully, resist obstruction in an orderly manner and seek assistance from law enforcement if necessary.
“Remember, protecting the vote is equal to protecting the country,” he said. “The vote is the wheel that drives the nation forward -- do not let anyone steal it.”
Yunus said changes had been made in field administration and the police ahead of the election, stressing that these were based on “competence and professionalism, not favour or bias”.
