Bangladesh military chief needs elections ‘by December’

Bangladesh’s Chief of Army Staff General Waker-uz-Zaman. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Bangladesh’s highly effective Army chief has stated the primary elections for the reason that nation’s former leader was ousted in a mass uprising ought to be held by December, native media reported and navy sources confirmed on Thursday (May 22, 2025).

General Waker-Uz-Zaman was reported to have advised officers on Wednesday that elections ought to be held by December this yr — if not earlier, based on Bangladeshi newspapers.

The South Asian nation of round 170 million people has been in political turmoil for the reason that student-led revolt that ousted then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August, with events protesting on the streets making rafts of calls for.

“Bangladesh is passing by means of a chaotic section,” Mr. Waker-Uz-Zaman stated, based on the newspapers.

“The state of affairs is worsening by the day. The construction of the civil administration and regulation enforcement companies has collapsed and did not reconstitute.”

No date has been set for elections, however interim chief, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has promised polls will probably be held by June 2026 on the newest.

But the important thing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), seen because the front-runners within the elections, have repeatedly demanded an election date.

The BNP on Wednesday held protests within the capital Dhaka, vital in that they for the primary time demonstrated in opposition to the caretaker authorities.

In response to a query from an officer, the Army chief reportedly stated: “Elections ought to be held by December, if not earlier.”

He is also reported to have advised officers to “perform your duties with honesty and impartiality throughout the election”.

It was Waker-Uz-Zaman who introduced in August final yr that Ms. Hasina had been overthrown, with the navy taking transient management.

Days later, Waker-Uz-Zaman handed over energy to Mr. Yunus, 84, who has stated he’ll lead the caretaker authorities till the following elections.

Lieutenant Colonel Sami-Ud-Dowla Chowdhury, the navy spokesperson, confirmed that Waker-Uz-Zaman had addressed officers on Wednesday however stated the “assembly was confidential”.

But three sources with direct information of the assembly advised AFP that the military chief emphasised the urgency of holding elections and stated they need to be held by December.

Known for his calm manner, Waker-Uz-Zaman appeared pissed off and dissatisfied throughout the session, they stated.