Bangladesh: National Election, Referendum Set To Be Held On February 12 | World News

DHAKA: Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) on Thursday announced that the country’s 13th national parliamentary elections and July Charter referendum will be held on February 12 next year, local media reported. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin made the announcement in a pre-recorded address broadcast on state-owned Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar on Thursday evening.

The election calendar sets December 29 as the deadline for submission of nomination papers, and the review then runs from December 30 to January 4. According to the news of UNB, Bangladesh’s leading media outlet, the deadline for withdrawal of candidacy is January 26, while the election campaign will start on January 22.

Bangladesh will hold its February 2026 elections with a referendum for the first time in the country’s election history. EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed confirmed last month that the interim government led by Mohammed Younis had instructed the EC to hold a referendum on the same day as the February 2026 elections.

“The Cabinet Division has sent the letter to the commission instructing it to start necessary preparations for holding the referendum,” an EC official was quoted by Bangladesh’s The Business Standard newspaper as saying. he said. Earlier, CEC Nasir Uddin had said that holding the referendum and the election on the same day would be challenging for the EC.

“Preparations for the election are in full swing, but holding the national elections and the referendum on the same day will be a big challenge. Once the law comes into force, we will know what kind of preparations are required for the referendum. Once the law is enacted, the commission will be fully prepared for it,” the CEC said.

He also said, “Whatever the difficulties, the EC will hold the referendum and the national election on the same day. We have no choice but to move forward.”

The Awami League party in Bangladesh last week criticized Yunus for suspending all the party’s activities; The party said the move effectively prevented nearly 40 percent of the country’s voters from participating in the February 2026 elections.

The party said that with this single instruction, the upcoming poll ceased to resemble a national election and became a “carefully crafted exercise” designed to keep out genuine competition.

“When Yunus suspended all activities of the Awami League, it was not just an administrative decision; it was an unprecedented political blackout in the history of Bangladesh. With a single executive order, he managed to silence the country’s largest political force and effectively silence the voices of nearly 40 percent of the voters. No debate. No due process. No public authority. Just raw, unchecked power,” the Awami League said.