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Published : 24 May 2025, 11:38 PM
Amid growing political uncertainty, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has reiterated that the next parliamentary elections may be held between December 2025 and June 2026, according to his Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam.
The press aide said the head of the interim government has consistently spoken about this election timeline, adding that all political parties expressed their unequivocal support for his leadership.
The BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party (NCP) have resisted the chief advisor’s “resignation” and instead, they have expressed their support for the head of government, he said.
Yunus held back-to-back separate meetings with the BNP, Jamaat, and the NCP from after dusk until 10pm on Saturday.
The first meeting was held at 7:45pm at his official residence Jamuna with four leaders from the BNP. He met separately with two leaders from Jamaat and four from the NCP afterwards.
The press secretary appeared at the briefing following the meetings around 10:15pm.
He described the discussions as having taken place in a “very friendly” atmosphere.
The main topics included the elections, reforms, and the trial of the July massacre.
Each political party presented its views and reiterated its support for the chief advisor, agreeing to participate in elections under his leadership, he said.
Shafiqul added that the BNP demands parliamentary elections by December, while Jamaat believes it might take until December to complete the reform process.
Jamaat supports the timeline given by the chief advisor, from December 2025 to June 2026, and the NCP also agreed to this, he said.
“Regarding the Election Commission, both the NCP and Jamaat believe its current state lacks a level playing field and reforms are needed to ensure fair elections.”
He noted that the NCP also prioritised local polls and called for all elections held during the Awami League era to be declared illegal.
According to Shafiqul, National Consensus Commission Vice-President Ali Riaz stressed during the meetings that the reform process would be completed by Jul 20 and the July Charter would be adopted. The work for the July Proclamation is also underway which is expected to be finalised soon.
Referring to the July massacre trials, he said the chief advisor assured everyone that the process would begin this month and justice would be done swiftly within the law.
The talks with the parties were arranged as the political climate grew tense over the army chief’s call for the next general election by December, reported rifts with the interim administration, and growing speculation about Yunus’s future in office.
He met with two Jamaat leaders at around 8:30pm following a discussion with the BNP.
The BNP delegation was led by its Standing Committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, accompanied by Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and Salahuddin Ahmed.
The Jamaat delegation included the party’s chief Shafiqur Rahman and deputy chief Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher.
On the NCP side, the delegation was led by Convenor Nahid Islam, along with Chief Organiser (South Region) Hasnat Abdullah, Senior Joint Convenor Ariful Islam Adib, and Senior Joint Member Secretary Tasnim Jara.
Ali Riaz attended all three meetings while Local Government Advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain was present at the talks with the BNP and Jamaat.
Chief Advisor’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder confirmed that more dialogues with other political parties are scheduled for Sunday.
