Bangladesh’s Yunus announces elections to be held in first half of April 2026

Bangladesh's interim leader announces national elections in April 2026 amid tensions with Army Chief over election timeline.

Bangladesh's national elections will be held in the first half of April 2026, the country's interim leader Muhammad Yunus, said on Friday (June 6, 2025).

"The Election Commission will provide you with a detailed roadmap for the elections at an appropriate time," said Nobel peace laureate Yunus, who took over as interim head of the South Asian nation of 173 million last August after a student-led uprising forced then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India.

The announcement also comes in light of the recent reported tensions between Mr. Yunus and the country’s Army Chief Waker Uz Zaman. The Army Chief had reportedly expressed unhappiness over the functioning of the interim government and said, “Elections must be held by December and that only an elected government should determine the nation’s course and not an unelected administration”.

Mr. Yunus, however, in an unscheduled meeting of the Council of Advisers of the interim administration had said that under the present circumstances only a “controlled election” can be held and that fully transparent election is not possible by December this year.