Dhaka (TDI): Elections in Bangladesh could be held by the end of next year, the head of the country’s interim government said on Monday, provided that electoral reforms are carried out first.
Bangladesh has been ruled by a caretaker government led by its only Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus since August, when then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina quit and fled to India amid mass protests.
Yunus said in a televised speech that if there is political consensus and the voter list is prepared accurately with only minor reforms, it may be possible to hold polls by the end of next year.
Bangladesh army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, whose refusal to support Sheikh Hasina during the deadly student demonstrations led to her departure, said in September that democracy should be restored within twelve to eighteen months, according to Reuters.
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In his address on the 53rd anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence, Yunus said polls would only be possible after electoral reforms.
“If further reforms are required, and taking into account national agreement, it may take at least another 6 months,” he added.
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Opposition parties including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), one of two dominant parties in Bangladesh alongside the Awami League, have called for polls to be held as soon as possible.