CA to unveil election date within 4 to 5 days

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has sought cooperation from all political parties for holding a free and fair election, and assured them of announcing the date of the next parliamentary polls within four to five days.

In a meeting with 11 parties and one alliance yesterday, he also warned that “defeated forces are trying to disrupt the election process by creating unrest”.

Yunus emphasised that all anti-fascist forces must unite to resist these attempts.

Mostofa Jamal Haider, leader of the 12-Party Alliance and chairman of Jatiya Party (Kazi Zafar), said, “The chief adviser categorically said he would announce a specific timeline and date of the election within the next four to five days.”

“There can be no better news than this,” Haider said while talking with reporters after the meeting at the chief adviser’s official residence Jamuna.

Haider said holding a national election is the only practical way to resolve the current political turmoil in the country. “Many problems will be addressed through the election. It will help bring an end to the ongoing unrest,” he said.

On July 9, Yunus ordered the authorities concerned to complete, by December, the preparations for the upcoming national election.

The polls are likely to take place in February or April, he told a meeting with law enforcers.

Yunus on June 13 said that the next general election could be held in the week before the start of Ramadan in 2026 if all preparations are completed.

Yunus made the remarks when BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, during a meeting with the chief adviser in London, suggested that the election take place before Ramadan. The month of fasting will begin in the third week of February.

At yesterday’s meeting, Yunus told the political parties that if all forces of the July uprising fail to come together to hold a fair election, “we will miss this great opportunity”, according to a statement from the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing.

Yunus added that whenever the defeated forces get a chance, they create disturbances that severely hinder the country’s normal progress.

“Whenever we move forward with election preparations, new conspiracies emerge. But the reality is that no conspiracy can obstruct the democratic journey. Because, on the question of fascism, the unity of all democratic forces is clear,” said the chief adviser.

He expressed hope for cooperation from all political parties to ensure a fair election.

The leaders who attended the meeting also assured the chief adviser of their full support, said the statement.

Leaders of Jatiya Ganofront, Nizam-e-Islam Party, Khelafat Majlis, National People’s Party, Bangladesh JASAD, Nationalist Democratic Movement, Islami Oikya Jote, Bhashani Janoshakti Party, Bangladesh Labour Party, Socialist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist), and Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam attended the meeting.

The meeting began with a minute of silence and prayer in memory of those who died in the plane crash at Milestone School & College on July 21.

During the meeting, leaders from of all political parties criticised the government’s failure to maintain law and order, calling for stricter measures. They expressed concern that defeated forces might exploit the situation to create unrest.

They also demanded removal of “inactive advisers” and replacement of “fascist collaborators” in the administration and law enforcement with competent individuals. Some of them also criticised the government’s decision to allow the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to set up a mission in Dhaka.

The chief adviser launched the ongoing talks with parties after the jet crash at Milestone and subsequent protests. As part of his efforts to engage with the parties, he met with the leaders of the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, and National Citizen Party (NCP) on July 22.

The next day, he held discussions with leaders from 13 other political parties.

After yesterday’s meeting with the political parties, Yunus also met leaders of Hefazat-e-Islam.

They discussed arrangements for compensation for victims of the crackdown on protesters at Shapla Chattar in 2013, as well as the collection and preservation of all related data and evidence.

They also discussed necessary steps to initiate an investigation through the United Nations into the attack on Hefazat’s rally, the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing said.

Hefajat Joint General Secretary Azizul Haque Islamabadi, who attended the meeting, told The Daily Star that they also objected to the government’s decision to allow the UN rights office in Dhaka.