“Elections can be held by Dec if reform is completed quickly”

Bangladesh's interim government Chief Dr Muhammad Yunus said he will hold elections between December 2025 and March 2026, depending on how quickly his government can institute reforms he believes necessary for free and fair elections.

He said this in an interview with the British media outlet BBC on Thursday (March 6).

Yunus, "If reforms can be done as quickly as we wish, then December would be the time that we would hold elections. If you have a longer version of reforms, then we may need a few more months."

"I had no idea I'd be leading the government," Muhammad Yunus told the BBC. "I had never run a government machine before and had to get the buttons right.

"Once that settled down, we started organising things," the Nobel-prize winning economist said, adding that restoring law and order and fixing the economy were priorities for the country.

It's unclear if Hasina, who fled into exile in India, and her party will participate in elections Yunus hopes to hold later this year. She is wanted in Bangladesh for alleged crimes against humanity._Agencies.