Interim leader says first national polls since overthrow of Sheikh Hasina to be held in February.
Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, has unveiled a roadmap of democratic reforms as the nation marks a year since a mass uprising toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Rallies, concerts and prayer sessions were held in the capital, Dhaka, on Tuesday as people in the South Asian nation celebrated what many called the country’s “second liberation” after its independence from Pakistan in 1971.
The anniversary culminated with Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate presiding over Bangladesh’s democratic overhaul, announcing that he would write to the chief election commissioner requesting that national elections be arranged before Ramadan in February.
“We will step into the final and most important phase after delivering this speech to you, and that is the transfer of power to an elected government,” he said.
Yunus had previously said elections would be held in April, but key political parties have been demanding he hold them earlier and before the Islamic holy month in the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million people.
“On behalf of the government, we will extend all necessary support to ensure that the election is free, peaceful and celebratory in spirit,” the interim leader added.
Hasina’s rule saw widespread human rights abuses, including mass detentions and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.
Protests against Hasina’s rule began on July 1, 2024, with university students calling for changes to a quota system for public sector jobs. They culminated on August 5, 2024, when thousands of protesters stormed Hasina’s palace as she escaped by helicopter.
Hasina, 77, fled to India and remains there. She has defied court orders to attend her ongoing trial on charges amounting to crimes against humanity.
On Tuesday, Yunus called for people to seize the “opportunity” for reform. He also warned about people whom he said sought to undermine the nation’s gains, saying, “The fallen autocrats and their self-serving allies remain active, conspiring to derail our progress.”
“Dialogue continues with political parties and stakeholders on necessary reforms, including the political and electoral systems,” he added.
Those gathered in Dhaka included families of those killed in the crackdowns on last year’s protests. Police were on high alert throughout the city with armoured vehicles patrolling the streets to deter any attempt by Hasina’s banned Awami League party to disrupt the day’s events.
Protesters also welcomed Yunus’s move to formally read out the July Declaration, a 28-point document that seeks to give constitutional recognition to the 2024 student-led uprising. He added that trials for those responsible for the July killings of 2024 were progressing swiftly.
Fariha Tamanna, 25, said it was “deeply satisfying” to hear the government “acknowledge the uprising”. “There’s still a long road ahead. So many wrongs continue,” she told the AFP news agency at a rally. “But I still hold on to hope.”