Election journey has started: Yunus

Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus announced that the "journey for election has started and will not stop." 

He, however, emphasised that the timeline for reaching the final station depends on the collective efforts of political parties to lay the tracks. 

Yunus also called on people to keep patience and promised them a polls roadmap as soon as electoral reforms are carried out.

He also said that the election may be delayed by a few months to accommodate those reforms.

Yunus said that several reform commissions are working and hoped that they will submit their reports within the scheduled time, between December and January.

He made these remarks during a televised address to the nation marking the first 100 days of his administration on Sunday, November 17.  

Yunus said that the government is making progress toward holding elections, with the formation of the Election Commission imminent.  

"The election train has started its journey and will not stop. However, as we move forward, much work remains. The train will reach its final station based on how quickly we can lay the tracks—this requires consensus among political parties," he said.

"Once the Election Commission is formed, the responsibility of organising the elections will fall entirely on them," he said, adding that tasks such as voter list updates will begin shortly thereafter.  

For the first time, the government is also working to enable expatriate Bangladeshis to vote via postal ballots.  

He clarified that the government's responsibilities extend beyond facilitating elections, reiterating their commitment to state reforms as mandated by the people.