Possible to hold election even before December: BNP
“The elections can be held before December because the chief adviser himself has said that reforms will be implemented, on which there is consensus,” Amir Khasru told reporters
It is possible to hold the next national election even before December this year, BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said today (16 April).
"The elections can be held before December because the chief adviser himself has said that reforms will be implemented, on which there is consensus," he told reporters in response to a question during a press briefing after a meeting with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nicole Chulik.
"Besides, signing the July coup charter is not a matter of time. So, there is no reason not to give a roadmap for the elections," he said.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"The chief adviser said that the elections will be held by December, we have repeated that," he added.
Khasru made the remarks in response to a question regarding BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul's comment that BNP was not at all satisfied with the interim government's election roadmap of holding polls between December 2025 and June 2026 after a meeting with the Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus earlier today.
Meanwhile, speaking about the meeting with Nicole Chulik at the residence of the US deputy head of mission in Gulshan, Khasru said the two sides discussed bilateral issues.
"Discussions were held on tariffs. We asked to keep tariffs at a tolerable level. Otherwise, Bangladesh's exports will be affected," he said about the meeting.
The meeting also discussed the next national election.
"Everyone wants to know when the elections will be held. There was a long discussion on this. We talked about how it is easier to make decisions in a democratic system."
"They also wanted to know about our economic policy. We said that the best economic and political reforms were carried out during our time. The economic reforms we carried out brought prosperity to the economy. They were convinced of this," he added.
Meanwhile, Khasru declined to respond when asked about a comment by National Citizen Party Convener Nahid Islam, where he alleged that the administration was working in favour of the BNP in many areas.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Nicole Chulick, Nahid said, "We see the administration taking the side of the BNP in various places. The administration is also playing a silent role regarding the ongoing extortion at the field level. We have said that if there is such an administration, it is not possible to hold elections under it."
