Bangladesh to Hold Elections in April 2026, Confirms Interim Leader Muhammad Yunus

Bangladesh’s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, announced on Friday that the country will hold national elections in April 2026. These will be the first elections since last year’s mass uprising that led to the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in exile in India.

"I am announcing to the citizens of the country that the election will be held on any day in the first half of April 2026," Yunus, 84, said in a statement quoted by AFP. Yunus has been leading the caretaker government since being appointed chief adviser following the collapse of Hasina’s administration.

In Bangladesh, the political upheaval began last year with widespread protests demanding changes to the government’s job quota system. What started as a student-led movement quickly grew into a nationwide outcry against corruption, economic mismanagement, and authoritarian rule. The unrest triggered violent clashes between protesters and security forces, resulting in over 300 deaths and more than 10,000 arrests. The government imposed curfews and deployed the military in an attempt to suppress the demonstrations.

In August, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country. Shortly after, the military declared the formation of an interim government and pledged to oversee key judicial and institutional reforms, along with a commitment to hold free and fair elections by mid-2026.

Earlier this month, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal formally charged Sheikh Hasina with crimes against humanity for her government’s alleged role in violently cracking down on last year’s protests. According to the *Dhaka Tribune*, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Mamun have also been named as co-accused.

Chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam claimed that Hasina oversaw a "systemic attack" on peaceful demonstrators, as the trial against her began on June 1.

The upcoming elections are expected to be a critical moment for Bangladesh, as the country navigates a turbulent chapter in its political history and seeks to restore democratic stability under Yunus’s interim leadership.