The interim government, formed under the leadership of Nobel Laureate Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus following a mass student-people uprising, marks its first anniversary today. The uprising on August 5, 2024 led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic regime.
Prior to the transition, a 36-day movement resulted in significant casualties among students and ordinary citizens. The interim government was sworn in on August 8, three days after the uprising.
Following the aspirations of the martyrs of July, the government has initiated various reforms aimed at bringing positive changes to electoral processes, governance, media freedom, the economy, judiciary, law and order, and ensuring justice for those killed during the uprising.
On August 5, the day Sheikh Hasina fled the country and the popular movement achieved its decisive victory, the government presented the “July Declaration” to the nation, marking the occasion as Uprising Day.
Through the National Consensus Commission, the government has held multiple rounds of dialogue with political parties, and the draft of the “July Charter” is now in its final stage.
On the same day, Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus announced that the next national parliamentary election will be held in February 2026.
He said, “On behalf of the interim government, I will send a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner to organise the national election in February 2026, before the next Ramadan.”
The following day, on August 6, the Chief Adviser’s Office sent a letter to the Election Commission, formally requesting preparation for holding the national election before the start of Ramadan in February 2026.
In a press release, the Press Wing of the Chief Adviser stated that this letter completes the government’s procedural request for the Election Commission to conduct the election.
The Election Commission held a meeting today at its headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka. Following the meeting, Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd.) Abul Fazl Md Sanaullah briefed reporters, stating that the schedule for the upcoming general election will be announced in the first half of December.
The government has already formed multiple reform commissions, including the Electoral Reform Commission, Police Reform Commission, Judicial Reform Commission, Anti-Corruption Reform Commission, Public Administration Reform Commission, Health Reform Commission, Media Reform Commission, Labour Rights Reform Commission, and Women’s Affairs Reform Commission. These commissions have submitted their recommendations, and the government has initiated implementation in several areas.
Due to these measures, the country’s overall inflation rate dropped to 8.48 percent in June this year, the lowest in 35 months. In a televised address to the nation, Dr Yunus said the government aims to reduce food inflation to 6 percent by December. He acknowledged that controlling inflation has been the biggest challenge for his interim government.
He further said that shortly after the government took office, devastating floods severely damaged agricultural production in the country’s southern and northern regions.
“There was a risk of price hikes for essential commodities. However, due to timely actions by relevant agencies, market monitoring, and control over middlemen, the situation was brought under control. The market has remained stable since this year’s holy Ramadan,” he said.
He added that growing confidence among expatriate Bangladeshis in the government has helped stabilise the foreign exchange reserves. Last fiscal year, a record USD 30.33 billion in remittance was received through banking channels, boosting export earnings by nearly 9 percent. “As a result, the value of the Taka has strengthened. For the first time in many years, the Taka is gaining against the US dollar,” he said.
Dr Yunus also stated that in the past 11 months, Bangladesh repaid USD 4 billion in loan principal and interest to foreign lenders, the highest in the country’s history. Despite this, foreign reserves continue to grow.
MSK/
