Bangladesh to hold elections in April 2026, announces interim leader Muhammad Yunus

Last year, Bangladesh saw a significant political upheaval as widespread protests led to resignation of Hasina in August, who currently is in exile in India.

Updated on: Jun 6, 2025, 23:07:44 IST

By HT News Desk

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Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus said on Friday that elections in the country will be held in April 2026. These will be the first elections in Bangladesh since a mass uprising overthrew the government last year, that resulted in the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina flee the country.

Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh. (Bloomberg)

"I am announcing to the citizens of the country that the election will be held on any day in the first half of April 2026," AFP news agency quoted Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who leads the caretaker government.

Bangladesh unrest

Last year, Bangladesh saw a significant political upheaval as widespread protests led to the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August, who currently is in exile in India.

The unrest was ignited by demands for reforms in the government's job quota system, but it quickly escalated into a broader movement against corruption as well.

Protests intensified across the country, leading to violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces. The government's response included deploying the military and imposing curfews, resulting in over 300 deaths and more than 10,000 arrests.

After Sheikh Hasina's exit, the military announced the formation of an interim government, with Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus appointed as chief adviser. The interim administration pledged to implement judicial and institutional reforms and to hold free and fair elections by June 2026 .

On June 1, Bangladeshi prosecutors at the International Crimes Tribunal formally charged former prime minister Sheikh Hasina of crimes against humanity during the mass uprising in the country last year, as per local media.

Also Read: Sheikh Hasina formally charged with ‘crimes against humanity’ in Bangladesh as key trial begins

According to the Dhaka Tribune, besides Sheikh Hasina, the country's former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and ex-IGP Chowdhury Mamun are also named as co-accused.

Mohammad Tajul Islam, the chief prosecutor at Bangladesh's domestic International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), has alleged that Hasina orchestrated a "systemic attack" on protests against her government as the trial against her opened on Sunday.

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