Bangladesh Army Chief Pushes for December Elections

Bangladesh’s army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman has told his officers that general elections should be held by December this year, stating that only an elected government could bring political stability to the country.

The army chief was speaking on Wednesday (May 21) at an event in the Dhaka cantonment for officers, which was attended by some in person and virtually by others who are posted around the world in UN peacekeeping missions.Several Bangladeshi media outlets reported, citing sources, that the army chief said general elections should be held by the end of 2025.

Bangladesh needs political stability. This is only possible through an elected government, not by unelected decision-makers,” a source quoted him as saying to the Daily Star 

The military has played a complex role in Bangladeshi politics, having ruled directly for 15 years until 1990 and again for two years until December 2008. Under the Sheikh Hasina government, the army had remained outside the political sphere.