Law advisor clarifies remarks on election timeline after religion advisor’s statement

Asif Nazrul says the election timing is a major policy decision, which will be decided under the chief advisor's leadership

Law Advisor Asif Nazrul has clarified his recent remarks about the possible timing of the next election, following comments made by the religion advisor.

“During a recent TV discussion, I said the election could possibly be held by next year, but there are several factors involved. I did not have the opportunity to fully explain those factors.” Nazrul said in a Facebook post on his verified page on Saturday.

The next national elections in Bangladesh could 'realistically' be held by 2025, he said while appearing on a late-night news analysis show on Channel I on Thursday.

He also said the interim government plans to constitute a new Election Commission through a search committee, which will update the voter list and organise the election by next year.

The following evening, during a separate event, Religious Affairs Advisor AFM Khalid Hossain said army chief Gen Waker-uz-Zaman and Nazrul’s remarks regarding the tentative election timing are not official statements of the government.

He emphasised that their comments on the matter are merely their own ‘personal statements’.

While referring to the elections, the religion advisor said: “A government has fallen. An interim administration has been installed to fill out the remainder of the government’s term. A bigger issue than that is the matter of state reform. If elections are held without reforms, then the state will remain unbalanced. This is why the government is working diligently on the reforms.”

Clarifying his own statement, Nazrul added: “The government’s position, as understood, involves discussing reforms and political consensus for the election. These are the factors I referred to.”

“I mentioned the need for reforms during the programme as well. Other factors I explained included the formation of the search committee and the Election Commission, and the preparation of the voter list. If these factors align, the election might be held next year. I also stressed that this is just my initial assumption.”

He criticised certain media outlets, saying: “Some media outlets are portraying my conditional assumptions as an election announcement. I humbly say, this is incorrect.”

“The timing of the election is a critical policy decision, and it will be decided under the leadership of the chief advisor. He alone has the authority to announce it,” he added.

The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus was sworn in on Aug 8. However, the government has not announced any specific outline for an election.

According to Bangladesh’s constitution, elections must take place within 90 days of the dissolution of a parliament. In case that cannot happen due to a natural disaster, the election must take place within the next 90 days.

But, since coming into power, the top priority of the interim government has been carrying out state reforms.

In an interview with Reuters on Sept 24, army chief Gen Waker indicated that the elections could occur in 18 months following reforms to the electoral process.