Army Chief General Zaman vs Chief Adviser Prof Yunus: Power wrestle in Bangladesh over timing of election

Two months after asserting election, the interim authorities of Bangladesh is indicating that it will not be ready to carry election by December 2025. 
| Photo Credit: SUHASINI HAIDAR

Two months after asserting election, the interim authorities of Bangladesh is indicating that it will not be in a position to hold election by December 2025.

This apprehension was a part of a dialogue on the council of advisers that Chief Adviser Prof Mohammed Yunus held late Thursday (May 22, 2025) night time after Army Chief Waker Uz Zaman held a closed door meeting with Commanding Officers on Wednesday (May 21, 2025) the place he expressed unhappiness over the functioning of the interim authorities and mentioned, “Elections must be held by December and that only an elected government should determine the nation’s course and not an unelected administration”.

Addressing the Commanding Officers in Wednesday’s assembly, Army Chief General Waker Uz Zaman mentioned sure insurance policies of the interim authorities weren’t a part of the understanding on which the interim government was configured after the autumn of the Sheikh Hasina government last August.

It was discovered that General Waker Uz Zaman expressed severe concern over “key decisions” of the interim authorities and claimed that the Armed Forces of Bangladesh weren’t briefed earlier than taking these choices. The inventory taking assembly of the military chief got here within the backdrop of quick paced choices that the Yunus administration has taken reportedly to open a “humanitarian corridor” to the Rakhine province of Myanmar. At a sure level through the assembly, it was talked about that the officer corps stands united in help of General Zaman and that they’re able to “act upon command”.

The navy meet additionally took be aware of the interim authorities’s resolution to introduce a college pledge that eliminated point out of the Liberation War prompting  a Commanding Officer (CO) to say that the “Liberation war legacy and national prestige are non-negotiable.”

Responding to the criticism within the navy meet, Prof Yunus known as for an unscheduled assembly of the Council of Advisers of the interim administration on Thursday (May 22, 2025). According to sources in Dhaka, through the assembly, Prof Yunus expressed frustration concerning the evolving state of affairs and mentioned together with his colleagues whether or not there’s a want for him to proceed because the Chief Adviser to the interim authorities.

He mentioned that underneath the current circumstances solely a “controlled election” could be held and that totally clear election will not be potential by December this yr. At one level, reportedly a draft speech for the nation was ready with Prof Yunus indicating that he would resign. However, the advisers prevailed on this dialogue and mentioned, leaving the duty of governance at this stage would land Bangladesh in a extra unstable state of affairs and the duty of this chaos would fall on Yunus himself.

A serious level of rivalry between Prof Yunus-led advisers and the highly effective navy institution is the initiative to ascertain a so known as “humanitarian corridor” connecting Chittagong with Myanmar’s Rakhine province.

The argument of the Yunus administration is that the “humanitarian corridor” will present medicines and different essential objects for the conflict-torn Rakhine which is named the centre of the Rohingya disaster. It has additionally been advised that the hall will flip right into a safety risk as it’s troublesome to make sure correct administration of such an initiative as most of Rakhine identified for medication and weapons smuggling has been taken over by the rebel group Arakan Army which is combating each the navy forces of Myanmar in addition to the Rohingya militants. The Hindu has learnt that the thought of the hall was “unequivocally” rejected by General Waker Uz Zaman in Wednesday’s assembly who described it as “completely unacceptable” due to the safety dangers concerned.