Bangladesh general polls in February, says Yunus; thousands attend rally to mark 1st anniversary of 'July Uprising'

Dhaka: Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday announced that the next general election will be held in February, as thousands of people joined a rally in Dhaka to mark the first anniversary of the 'July Uprising' that toppled longtime prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

"On behalf of the interim government, I will send a letter to the chief election commissioner requesting that the Election Commission hold the national election in February 2026, before Ramzan," Yunus said in a televised address to the nation on the first anniversary of last year's student-led protest movement - dubbed as 'July Uprising'.

The month of Ramzan is set to begin on February 17 or 18 next year, depending on the sighting of the moon. Earlier, general elections in Bangladesh were scheduled for the first half of April next year.

"We want this election to be memorable in our nation's history - in terms of joy and festivity, peace and order, voter turnout, and in terms of harmony and sincerity," Yunus said as he promised to extend all possible support to ensure a “free, fair, peaceful, and festive” election.

Yunus, 85, said his government would start "both mental and institutional readiness to accomplish all necessary preparations, starting tomorrow".

The interim government led by Yunus has disbanded all activities of Hasina's Awami League and arrested its top leaders, resulting in the emergence of former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as the single major actor in the political arena.

A large offshoot of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD), which led the protests against Hasina, formed the National Citizen Party (NCP) in February, apparently with Yunus’ blessings. The NCP recently presented its manifesto, vowing to turn Bangladesh into a “Second Republic” and scrap the country's post-independence 1972 Constitution.

The NCP is believed to have developed ties with far-right Jamaat-e-Islami and other Islamist groups against BNP.

Earlier, Yunus called the 'July Uprising' anniversary an “unforgettable chapter in the history of Bangladesh” as it had led to "liberating our beloved nation from the grip of long-standing fascist rule".

Before delivering the televised address, Yunus read out the “July Declaration” in front of the Jatiya Sangsad or the Parliament complex, saying the Uprising Day should serve as a reminder that the struggle for a better future continues.

“The people of Bangladesh express their desire that the student-people uprising of 2024 will get proper state and constitutional recognition and that the July declaration will feature in the schedule of the reformed constitution as framed by the government formed through the next national election,” Yunus said, reading from the declaration.

The Yunus-led interim government wanted to give constitutional recognition to the student-led uprising. This recognition is known as the July Declaration.

The over 1,000-word declaration described in detail the activities of the ousted “fascist” regime, adding that “therefore the people of Bangladesh express a strong desire” to bring the former rulers under trial for crimes of enforced disappearance and murder, individual and mass killings, and crimes against humanity.

“This document of declaration is written to reflect the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh at the event of the victory in the mass uprising of August 5, 2024,” Yunus said.

Security forces enforced a strict vigil throughout the capital, with armoured vehicles patrolling the streets apparently to deter any attempt by Hasina’s now-banned Awami League party to disrupt the day's events that included rallies, concerts, and prayer sessions. The representatives of major political parties joined the rally.

However, apart from scattered political rallies, the streets of the capital were quiet amid inclement weather marked by incessant rains.

According to political analysts, the anniversary came as Hasina, now on self–exile in India, faces trial on charges like crimes against humanity while most of her colleagues in the cabinet and in her Awami League party are in jail or on the run at home and abroad.

But political analysts said Bangladesh is far from political stability, a year after the bloody uprising that claimed hundreds of lives.

They said that despite the bloodshed, the prospect for a better Bangladesh with a liberal democracy, political tolerance, and religious and communal harmony remained a challenge.

“The hope of the thousands who braved lethal violence a year ago when they opposed Sheikh Hasina’s abusive rule to build a rights-respecting democracy remains unfulfilled,” New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch said in a statement on the eve of the anniversary.

Yunus was installed as Chief Adviser of the interim government on August 8 last year, three days after the ouster of the 16-year-long Awami League regime, when Hasina left the country in an air force helicopter escorted by army troops.

“Together, we will build a Bangladesh where tyranny will never rise again," Yunus had earlier said in a statement coinciding with the anniversary. He added that a peaceful, fair, and transparent election could be held early next year.

Yunus said, “fallen autocrats and their self-serving allies remain active" as he called for protecting the gains of the uprising.

His government is now holding reform talks with political parties and civil society.

The interim administration declared the Uprising Day anniversary a public holiday.