Bangladesh Schedules 2026 Elections Following Student Protests

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Bangladesh Schedules 2026 Elections Following Student Protests
Photo: Fatima Tuj Johora/AP/TT

Bangladesh announces elections in April 2026. This is announced by the country's interim leader, the Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, in a televised speech to the nation.

The commission will return with a detailed action plan at an appropriate time, says Yunus in the speech.

Yunus took over power in August last year, after student-led protests forced out Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after 15 years in power.

Last summer's protests began with dissatisfaction with a quota system for jobs in the public sector that was considered to benefit supporters of Hasina's party.

According to a UN investigation, up to 1,400 people were killed when the regime tried to quash the protests with violence, most of whom were reportedly shot dead by security forces.

The interim government has previously banned Hasina's party Awami League. The nationalist party (BNP), the other major party in the country, has demanded that elections be held in December this year.

77-year-old Hasina, who fled to India after her departure, is pointed out as involved in the killings during the protests and is being investigated for murder. She has so far avoided arrest by staying in exile in the neighboring country.

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By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

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