Key Points

Yunus on Friday said that the country's next national elections will be held "on a day in April", next year.

In a televised speech to the nation on the eve of the festival of Eid al-Adha, Yunus also said that the country's Election Commission will present a detailed roadmap of the election at an "appropriate time".

However, various political parties in the country slammed the move within a few hours of Yunus making the announcement.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told local media in Dhaka on Saturday that April is "not suitable in any way" for holding national elections.

"April is not the right time for holding polls in Bangladesh. There will be the possibility of extreme heat, storms and rains during the period. And, the time is right after Ramadan... There are public examinations as well," said Alamgir.

He mentioned that holding elections in April would mean conducting polling campaigns during the month of Ramadan, which would not be suitable at all.

"We think December will be most suitable for polls... We gave our reaction yesterday. We have always demanded that we wanted the election by December, and so was the expectation of the people," he said.

During his address on Friday, Yunus also outlined the "achievements" of the Interim Government over the past 10 months and stressed that it has been working on the three-point agenda of justice, reforms, and elections.

Earlier, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed had said that holding national elections in the country before December is "very much possible" as completing necessary reforms based on a consensus could take less than a month.

"December is far too late. It is possible to hold the election before then. If the reform proposals, excluding those related to constitutional amendments, are accepted through national consensus, they can be implemented in less than a month," Salahuddin was quoted as saying by the local media.

Reiterating that the BNP is yet to find any valid argument to justify delaying elections beyond December, Salahuddin further observed: "We are all in favour of democracy and a prompt election to establish the people's right to vote. There is not a single reason that justifies holding the election after December".

The interim government led by Yunus has been facing increasing pressure from various political parties to hold elections by the end of this year.

Last month, while addressing a rally virtually from London, BNP's Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman noted that alongside the reforms issue, the interim government must show "visible preparations" for holding the national elections.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh's largest Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), which will be able to take part in the elections after a recent Supreme Court order, is not explicitly backing a December election date.

JeI Ameer Shafiqur Rahman said on Saturday that the nation does not want another "questionable election" and stressed that a credible national election would only be possible if justice, reforms, the July Charter and July Declaration are ensured, along with a level-playing field.

"We will cooperate with the Chief Advisor if he seeks our assistance. However, resolving the national crisis is crucial to holding free and fair elections," Rahman noted.

- IANS