Yunus says people believe interim government is the solution

In an interview with Al Jazeera, he says the election will be held after reforms by June, not after that

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has said the people of Bangladesh still believe the interim government is the proper solution following the fall of the Awami League government in the July Uprising.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said the parliamentary election will be held after implementing reforms based on consensus within June 2026, not beyond that.

Yunus gave the interview during his trip to Doha for the Earthna Summit last week. Al Jazeera broadcasted the interview on Sunday night.

He was asked how the interim government plans to respond to big challenges at the end of the “honeymoon” period after former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted.

In reply, Yunus said people were not impatient and believed that the interim government was still the “best solution”.

No one has yet called for the election to be held immediately or wanted the interim government to step down, he added.

Yunus said the government wants a meaningful election and if the list of reforms would be short, it was possible to hold the election in December. But if not, it must wait until June, but not beyond that.

Yunus said the next national polls will be the “best election” in the country’s history.

Asked whether the Awami League would be allowed to participate in the next election, he said the matter mainly depended on the decision of the party.

The Awami League has yet to make an announcement, though the Election Commission would also play a vital role in this, he said.

Other political parties might also demand that the Awami League be ruled out of the election under the existing law, he said.

Speaking about his thoughts on Hasina, who is currently absconding in India, claiming herself to be the “lawful prime minister”, he said he wanted to “clarify” that if India sought to keep the deposed leader, it would not be possible for Bangladesh to settle the issue.

Yunus, however, stressed that Hasina should not make remarks from India as it causes problems.

He believes the Awami League chief is provoking the people of Bangladesh with her speeches from there and as a result, it’s the authorities who are suffering.

Yunus said Modi had responded by saying that social media in India is free for all and cannot be controlled by the government.