Bangladesh army chief wants elections 'by December'

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s powerful army chief has said the first elections since the country’s former leader was ousted in a mass uprising should be held by December, local media reported, and military sources confirmed on Thursday.

General Waker-Uz-Zaman was reported to have told officers on Wednesday that elections should be held by December this year — if not earlier, according to Bangladeshi newspapers.

The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since the student-led revolt that ousted then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August, with parties protesting on the streets making rafts of demands.

“Bangladesh is passing through a chaotic phase,” Waker-Uz-Zaman said, according to the newspapers.

“The situation is worsening by the day. The structure of the civil administration and law enforcement agencies has collapsed and failed to reconstitute.”

No date has been set for elections but interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has promised polls will be held by June 2026 at the latest.

But the key Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), seen as the front-runners in the elections, have repeatedly demanded an election date.

The BNP on Wednesday held protests in the capital Dhaka, for the first time against the caretaker government.

In response to a question from an officer, the army chief reportedly said: “Elections should be held by December, if not earlier.”

He also is reported to have told officers to “carry out your duties with honesty and impartiality during the election”.

It was Waker-Uz-Zaman who announced in August last year that Hasina had been overthrown, with the military taking brief control.

Days later, Waker-Uz-Zaman handed over power to Yunus, 84, who has said he will lead the caretaker government until the next elections.

Lieutenant Colonel Sami-Ud-Dowla Chowdhury, the military spokesperson, confirmed that Waker-Uz-Zaman had addressed officers on Wednesday but said the “meeting was confidential”.

But three sources with direct knowledge of the meeting told AFP that the army chief emphasised the urgency of holding elections and said they should be held by December.

Known for his calm demeanour, Waker-Uz-Zaman appeared frustrated and dissatisfied during the session, they said.