Bangladesh’s BNP says Yunus remarks fuelling instability ahead of Feb elections
Bangladesh’s main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), slammed Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus on Thursday, saying his recent comments are stirring up political instability and casting doubt on next year’s national elections.
Speaking at a gathering in Dhaka’s National Press Club, BNP leader Zainul Abedin Farroque called out Yunus’s interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan, who runs the global media site Zeteo. Farroque accused Yunus, the chief advisor to Bangladesh’s interim government, of trying to cling to power for five years.
In the interview, which happened on the edges of the UN General Assembly in New York, Yunus addressed public views on elections. “There are various opinions among the people about the holding of elections,” he said, according to Bangladesh’s Dhaka Tribune. “Some even say this government should stay for five years, 10 years, or even 50 years. But we have decided to hold the election in the first half of February.”
Farroque fired back, pointing out that Yunus made these remarks while on his UN trip. “Muhammad Yunus told the media that people want to see him in power for five years,” Farroque said. He warned that this kind of talk threatens Bangladesh’s political stability, especially as the country’s security and economy have worsened over the past year. Such statements, he added, are putting the whole election process at risk.
Adding to the tension, a suspended BNP figure, Fazlur Rahman, voiced strong doubts last week about any elections under Yunus’s watch. In an exclusive chat with leading Bengali newspaper Jugantor, Rahman said, “I do not believe 90 percent that there will be an election in February. Although my party believes it. I do not think that there will be an election in February.”
Rahman went further: “I don’t want any elections under Yunus. There will be a caretaker government for three months. There will be fair elections under that government.”
This drama highlights the rising uncertainty in Bangladesh ahead of the 2025 elections. Groups that once teamed up with Yunus to topple Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government last year are now clashing fiercely, deepening the political divide in Dhaka and beyond.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
