Bengali 
English 
In the middle of ongoing political uncertainty, executives of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Gono Odhikar Parishad have made a new demand for the next general election to be held in December 2025 after the meeting. The demand follows a news conference and a series of meetings to build a national consensus on major reforms in the state as well as the timeline for the elections.
In a conversation at the BNP chairperson’s office in Gulshan, both parties strongly emphasized the need to complete the ongoing reform process quickly for reasons of maintaining stability. Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, a BNP Standing Committee member said that all parties have submitted written reform proposals and should be able to agree on areas of consensus in less than a week.
Khasru said, “Once there is clarity on consensus, the national charter can be signed and the election date declared. There is even scope for polls to take place before December.”
Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur also voiced similar sentiments about the importance of timely elections in stabilizing democratic processes and proposed that a July Charter could be developed on the basis of the agreed reforms and allowing polls to take place by the end of the year.
The BNP also had informal meetings with leaders of the Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) and Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB). CPB General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince stated that any delay beyond December would further increase the political tensions.
The call to hold timely elections does come off the back of demands for transparency, consensus and stability in Bangladesh’s political environment.
আরও পড়ুন: Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami wants elections to be held before next Ramadan
