A Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) delegation on Wednesday voiced dissatisfaction after talks with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus failed to produce a clear election deadline, despite the party’s persistent calls for polls to be held by December.
A seven-member delegation of the BNP, led by Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, met with Muhammad Yunus at Bangladesh’s state guest house Jamuna in Dhaka to discuss key national issues, including the upcoming election roadmap, the economic situation, withdrawal of political cases, and the legal proceedings against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Following the two-and-a-half-hour-long meeting, Alamgir expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome.
‘Not Satisfied At All’
“We are not satisfied at all,” he told reporters. “The Chief Adviser did not commit to a deadline—he only said the elections would be held sometime between December and June. That is not acceptable to us.”
Alamgir stressed that elections must take place by December, warning that further delay could deepen Bangladesh’s political and economic instability.
“We’ve made it clear that December is our cutoff,” he added.
Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate who took over as head of the interim government in August following the departure of Sheikh Hasina to India amid anti-government protests, has been navigating political uncertainty since assuming office.
His appointment followed prolonged tensions with the previous administration under Hasina’s nearly 16-year rule.
New Political Party
Recently, a group of student activists who were at the forefront of protests against the Hasina government launched a new political outfit—the National Citizen Party (NCP)—with Yunus’s backing.
The NCP has called for elections only after necessary reforms and accountability measures are in place, including the prosecution of former regime leaders.
BNP Supports Reform Agenda
Despite their dissatisfaction with the election timeline, the BNP has expressed full support for the reform agenda.
“We are ready to draft a charter based on a consensus among all parties,” said Alamgir. “But only an elected political party can implement those reforms effectively.”
Speaking separately to the media, BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury argued that there is no reason to delay the polls, especially since there is already broad agreement on the reforms.
“The Chief Adviser himself acknowledged that the reforms are ready and agreed upon—so elections could be held even before December,” he said.
Mixed Impacts
Law Affairs Adviser Asif Nazrul noted that while the interim government’s decisions have had mixed impacts on the BNP, the party has shown a strong commitment to the reform process by supporting most of the proposals.
“There are some differences when it comes to the timing of the election,” Nazrul acknowledged. “But the Chief Adviser has reiterated that polls will be held between December and June—not as a delay tactic, but as part of a timeline for swift implementation.”
‘Free And Frank’ Talks
According to the Chief Adviser’s office, the meeting with BNP leaders was held in a “free and frank” manner.
However, NCP convenor Nahid Islam, who recently resigned from the government to establish the party, expressed concerns about bias within the bureaucracy.
“The administration still favours the BNP in many cases,” he claimed. “Under such conditions, the NCP believes that holding a fair election would not be possible.”
