Bangladesh begins three days of mass political rallies

Dhaka: Three days of political rallies began in Bangladesh on Thursday with rival groups to stage mass demonstrations in Dhaka, drumming up support for eagerly anticipated elections following an uprising last year.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, 84, has led an interim government since autocratic prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled into exile as crowds stormed her palace in August. He has said elections will be held as early as December, and at the latest by mid-2026.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), widely tipped to win the poll, will hold a May Day rally in Dhaka.

“We are confident this will be the most memorable grand rally in recent times,” BNP media officer Shairul Kabir Khan said.

The largest Islamist political party, Jamaat-e-Islami, will also take to the streets of the capital on Thursday.

The Jatiya Party, formerly close to Hasina´s regime, will likewise hold a rally.

It will be its first outdoor political event since its offices were vandalised in October, allegedly for helping Hasina´s Awami League cling to power.

On Friday, the National Citizens Party (NCP), formed by students who spearheaded the youth-led protests that overthrew Hasina, will hold a rally. NCP leader Nahid Islam initially joined the interim government led by Yunus, before resigning to form the party.

“Political programmes help us build public engagement,” said senior NCP official Ariful Islam Adib.

“This rally isn’t about showing strength, but we expect 20,000 to 30,000 attendees.”

Hefazat-e-Islam, a platform of Islamic seminaries, will hold a “grand rally” on Saturday.

“Our rally is a reminder to the government of the sacrifices we’ve made,” said its leader Mamunul Haque, adding they will use the event to present their demands.

Key among them is cancelling recommendations by a government women’s commission for ending discriminatory provisions, a further indication of how hardline, religiously fuelled activism is strengthening after years of suppression.

“We will present four demands. Chief among them is scrapping the recommendations of the Women’s Rights Commission,” Haque said.

“We don’t care if it’s Muhammad Yunus in charge or someone even more prominent, we’ll take to the streets,” he added.

Hasina’s government was blamed for extensive human rights abuses and she took a tough stand against Islamist movements during her 15-year rule.

She remains in self-imposed exile in India, and has defied an arrest warrant from Dhaka to face charges of crimes against humanity.

The South Asian nation of some 170 million people last held elections in January 2024, when Hasina won a fourth term in the absence of genuine opposition parties who boycotted the vote after a crackdown.

It is not confirmed if Hasina’s Awami League will take part in elections.

Yunus says the caretaker administration he is leading has a duty to implement democratic reforms before it holds a fresh election.

He said the timing of elections depends on how much change the political parties can agree on.

“If they are in a hurry... then we have the early election in December,” Yunus told broadcast Al Jazeera on Sunday, adding that if parties want more reforms, polls would be later.

“If they want a longer version, we go up to June. Beyond June, we don’t go.”