BNP asks Bangladesh interim chief Yunus to hold elections by December

They are entrusted with portfolios of youth and sports, and information ministries, respectively while the third adviser is former diplomat Khalilur Rahman, who is also Yunus’s national security adviser.

BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, who also attended the meeting as part of the delegation, said the party sought their removal before as well in a written statement.

Asked if the BNP was satisfied with the meeting, Ahmed said the delegation presented its views and would await Yunus’ feedback and “only then can we say whether we are satisfied or not".

Hossain said the government was pursuing three agendas -- reform, trial of leaders of deposed premier Hasina’s regime and the election.

The BNP is seeking the removal of Alam and Bhuiyan as it is at loggerheads with the newly floated student-led National Citizen Party (NCP) comprising SAD leaders backed by Yunus.

Yunus also met with Jamaat-e-Islami and NCP leaders.

"We have proposed two possible time frames (for polls) – either mid-February 2026, if all the reforms are done, or immediately after Ramadan, if reforms take a bit longer," Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman said.

He also said that the Jamaat delegation asked the interim administration that it should announce two clear and specific roadmaps – one for reform and the other for election.

The NCP, on the other hand, pressed for local government polls ahead of the national election, reiterating their earlier expressed desire that was vehemently opposed by the BNP, which emerged as the most prominent political party with the ouster of the previous regime and subsequent disbanding of the Awami League.

Yunus’ office later said his leadership drew confidence of all three major political parties and they conveyed their support for a free, fair, and peaceful election under his administration. Yunus’ press secretary Shafiqul Alam said the chief adviser told all the parties that the national election will be held sometime between December and June of next year while both Jamaat and NCP supported the timeframe.

The meetings came hours after the advisory council or cabinet issued a statement confirming that Yunus would remain as the interim government chief.

“He (Yunus) is definitely staying,” planning adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud told reporters after an unscheduled closed-door meeting of the council with Yunus in the chair amid a nationwide unease.

The chief adviser’s press wing later issued a “statement from the advisory council”, saying the two-hour long meeting included detailed discussions on “three primary responsibilities entrusted to the interim government – elections, reforms, and justice”.

“The Council discussed how unreasonable demands, deliberately provocative and ‘jurisdictionally overreaching statements’, and disruptive programmes have been continuously obstructing the normal functioning environment and creating confusion and suspicion among the public,” it read.

The statement said despite all obstacles, the interim government continued to fulfil its responsibilities by putting national interests above group interests.

“However, if—under the instigation of defeated forces or as part of a foreign conspiracy -- the performance of these responsibilities becomes impossible, the government will present all reasons to the public and then take the necessary steps with the people,” the council said.

Yunus’ decision to stay in office came two days after he told NCP leaders that he was mulling resignation as he felt “the situation is such that he cannot work", citing difficulties in working amid the failure of political parties to find common ground for change.

NCP convenor Nahid Islam earlier said that he urged Yunus "to stay strong for the sake of the country's security, and future and to meet the expectations of the mass uprising, (and) I hope everyone will cooperate with him".

Analysts, however, saw the chief adviser's resignation threat as a test of public backing and political support.

Saturday’s developments came amid reports of discord between the military and the interim government over the possible election timeline and a policy issue related to Bangladesh’s security affairs involving a proposed humanitarian corridor of aid channel to Myanmar’s rebel-held Rakhine state.

Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman along with the navy and air force chiefs met Yunus three days ago and reportedly reiterated their call for election by December this year to allow an elected government to take charge and conveyed their reservation about the corridor issue.

The next day, Zaman held a senior officers meeting at Dhaka Cantonment and said he was unaware of several strategic decisions despite the military’s active role.

The military also decided to be tough against rampant “mob justice” in discharging their law enforcement duties.

Meanwhile, troops who were called out of their barracks with magistracy power to maintain law and order were seen intensifying their street patrols and security vigil.

Several analysts called the meeting crucial to consolidate the military strength.

During last year’s protests, the army avoided a crackdown, instead extended its hand for Hasina’s safe exit to India. It also supported Yunus’ appointment as chief adviser, as demanded by the SAD, much of which later formed the NCP.

Yunus’s administration recently disbanded Hasina's Awami League, sending many of its senior leaders, including former ministers, to jail to face trial for charges like crimes against humanity.

The South Asian nation of some 170 million people has been in political turmoil since the ouster of the previous regime. The situation has escalated over the last few days with rival parties and trade unions or pressure groups protesting on the streets of the capital Dhaka with a string of competing demands.