Bangladesh polls could take place end-2025, interim government chief says

DHAKA - Elections in Bangladesh could be held by the end of 2025, the head of the country's interim government said on Monday, provided that electoral reforms are carried out first.

Bangladesh has been ruled by an interim government led by its only Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus since August, when then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India amid mass protests.

"If there is political consensus and the voter list is prepared accurately with only minor reforms, it may be possible to hold elections by the end of 2025," Yunus said in a televised speech.

Bangladesh’s army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, whose refusal to support Hasina during the deadly student protests led to her departure, told Reuters in September that democracy should be restored within 12 to 18 months.

In his address, delivered on the 53rd anniversary of Bangladesh winning independence from Pakistan following a nine-month war, Yunus said elections would only be possible after electoral reforms.

"If additional reforms are needed, and taking into account national consensus, it may take at least another six months," the 84-year-old added.

Opposition parties including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, one of two dominant parties in the country alongside the Awami League, have called for elections to be held as soon as possible.

(Reporting by Dhaka Bureau; Editing by Shilpa Jamkhandikar and Nicholas Yong)