The Election Commission in Bangladesh announced the schedule for the general elections on Thursday, the first since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year. The general elections will be held on February 12, and the referendum on the July Charter plan will be held alongside it.
Bangladesh Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddi, in an address to the nation, said, "Voting will take place on February 12, 2026, from 7.30am to 4.30pm." Uddi urged "sincere participation and active cooperation from political parties, candidates, and voters in making the election and referendum successful."
A referendum will simultaneously be held on the voting day to elicit public opinion on a series of reform proposals of the Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus-led National Consensus Commission, called the July Charter.
As per the election schedule, the last date for submission of nomination papers is December 29, and scrutiny of nominations will be held from December 30 to January 4. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is January 20.
The final list of candidates will be published on January 21. Election campaigns will begin on January 22 and continue until 7:30 am on February 10, it said.
The announcement for the general election comes a day after the Chief Election Commissioner met Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who assured him optimum support and cooperation to conduct the general elections in a "free, fair and meaningful" manner.
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The last election was held in January 2024, and six months after Hasina's election, violent street protests erupted across the country. The protests forced Hasina to escape to India on August 5 last year.
The interim government, led by Yunus, took over as chief adviser, and he disbanded Hasina's Awami League. Hasina has warned that holding elections without her party would be "sowing the seeds" of further division, and a large number of her supporters would abstain from voting.