Goodbye 2025, Welcome 2026
Staff Reporter :
As the sun sets in a crimson glow on the final evening of 2025 a year marked by turbulence, sacrifice, and resilience the people of Bangladesh step into a new calendar year carrying renewed hope for a brighter future.
On the occasion of the English New Year 2026, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus extended heartfelt greetings to Bangladeshis at home and abroad, expressing optimism that the coming year will rekindle aspirations and advance the nation’s democratic journey.
In his New Year message, Prof Yunus said the advent of a new year symbolises fresh dreams, hope, and limitless possibilities.
“The message of the New Year fills us with enthusiasm and renewed strength, encouraging us to leave behind sorrow and move forward toward a beautiful future,” he said.
The closing days of 2025 unfolded as a poignant chapter of resistance, grief, and an unwavering national spirit that refused to surrender to despair.
Towards the end of the year, the nation mourned the passing of Begum Khaleda Zia, a towering figure of democracy and national unity. Widely regarded as an uncompromising leader, her death cast a shadow of grief across the country, as millions bid her farewell with tears, respect, and deep affection. The year was further scarred by the daylight killing of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, co-founder and spokesperson of Inqilab Moncho-an incident that silenced a quieter yet powerful narrative of a people no longer willing to live under the weight of unfulfilled promises.
Yet, even amid mourning, there was a sense of pride. The sacrifices made were not in vain; they nourished the roots of a new beginning. Though battered, Bangladesh stood firm-poised at the threshold of transformation, its soil enriched with the promise of renewal.
For all its fractures and failures, 2025 was not a year of submission-it was a year of awakening.
Referring to the changed national context following the July mass uprising, Prof Yunus noted that the New Year holds special significance. He said the interim government has embarked on a path of democratic transition through reforms of a flawed state system and expressed hope that the process would reach a meaningful conclusion in 2026.
“We hope the democratic transition we have initiated will be completed in the coming year through the organisation of a national election and a referendum on the implementation of the July Charter,” he said, adding that these initiatives would help strengthen democracy by overcoming conspiracies and obstacles.
“This is our greatest expectation for the New Year,” he added.
The Chief Adviser also urged citizens to contribute sincerely and patriotically to nation-building.
“In the New Year, we will face all challenges together and build a discrimination-free Bangladesh founded on equality and justice,” he said.
Expressing hope for enhanced social cohesion, Prof Yunus said, “Let harmony, friendship, and brotherhood grow stronger across the country,” while wishing peace, happiness, and prosperity for all in 2026.
As the first light of 2026 gently touches the horizon, it arrives like a reconciliation after prolonged estrangement-illuminating streets once alive with protest, now awaiting the determined footsteps of builders, dreamers, and architects of tomorrow.
The dawn of 2026 is not merely a beginning but a declaration of renewal-a solemn pledge that the lessons of a turbulent past will guide those shaping the nation’s future. Bangladesh will no longer settle for survival alone; it will strive boldly for greatness.
This new Bangladesh is not without imperfections, yet it is fearless in its dreams, relentless in its challenges, and tireless in its pursuit of justice and prosperity. The losses of 2025 are being transformed into the foundations of a fairer and stronger nation.
As 2026 unfolds, it poses a vital question: what will be built with this opportunity? The people of Bangladesh now hold the pen, their voices united and their resolve unshaken.
With rivers flowing and winds carrying whispers of hope, the nation moves forward-not weighed down by loss, but lifted by promise.
More than just a new year, 2026 marks a new beginning, as Bangladesh prepares to hold its 13th Jatiya Sangsad election in February-anticipated to be the most participatory in the nation’s history. The country strides ahead, bearing testimony to the indomitable strength of its people and the enduring power of hope.