'Bangladesh will go to polls on time, nation is eagerly waiting’: Muhammad Yunus

Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said on Monday (Dec 22) that the country will go to polls on the scheduled dates amid unrest in the country over the death of 2024 uprising leader Sharif Osman Hadi. He said this to the US Special Envoy to South and Central Asia Sergio Gor during a phone call.

He reaffirmed his commitment to holding general elections on February 12 and said the nation was eagerly waiting to exercise its voting rights, which were “stolen by the autocratic regime", a reference to the Sheikh Hasina administration.

“We have roughly 50 days to go before the election. We want to hold a free, fair and peaceful election. We want to make it remarkable," Yunus said. "The nation is eagerly waiting to exercise their voting rights which were stolen by the autocratic regime", he said.

"The discussion, which lasted about half an hour, focused on trade and tariff negotiations between Bangladesh and the United States, the upcoming general election, the country’s democratic transition, and the murder of young Bangladeshi political activist Sharif Osman Hadi," his office said in an X post. “We have roughly 50 days to go before the election. We want to hold a free, fair and peaceful election. We want to make it remarkable,” Yunus said.

After a Bangladesh youth leader, Sharif Osman Hadi, succumbed to his injuries on Thursday (Dec 18), a massive protest and unrest gripped the country. Media houses, cultural centres, and even the residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman have been torched. Amid all this, recent reports revealed what Faisal Karim, the alleged shooter of Hadi, told his girlfriend before shooting. He told her that something was going to happen that would "shake entire Bangladesh". Hours later, Faisal, along with two other people, shot Hadi in broad daylight in Dhaka.