Overview

• Interim government leader Muhammad Yunus announced elections could occur by late 2025 or early 2026, depending on the completion of electoral reforms.
• Yunus, an 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, has prioritized restoring democratic institutions after the August revolution that removed Sheikh Hasina from power.
• Reforms include creating an accurate voter list and addressing years of democratic erosion under Hasina's government, which faced accusations of human rights abuses and rigged elections.
• Sheikh Hasina, who ruled for 15 years, fled to India in August after mass protests and violent clashes led to her resignation and the collapse of her administration.
• Opposition parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, are pushing for earlier elections, but Yunus insists reforms must be completed to ensure fairness.