Ali Riaz warns of instability if Feb election delayed
Staff Reporter :
National Consensus Commission Vice President Professor Ali Riaz has cautioned that postponing the next parliamentary election beyond February could trigger internal instability and jeopardize Bangladesh’s national security.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion titled “The Path to Political Consensus for Elections,” hosted by Prothom Alo in Dhaka on Saturday, Riaz underscored the urgent need for political parties to conclude negotiations and commit to a timeline.
“I have repeatedly urged political parties to respond, and they have to a certain extent. But at some point, the process must end; it cannot continue indefinitely,” Riaz told the gathering. “If elections are not held in February, Bangladesh will face not only internal instability but also disruptions to national security.”
Riaz argued that the stakes extend beyond simply holding an election. He said the reform process, launched after last year’s student uprising, was intended to ensure structural changes to Bangladesh’s governance model. Without consensus on these reforms, he warned, elections alone would not bring meaningful change.
“The next election must be about securing certain transformations in the state structure,” Riaz said. “We have seen that the crises of the past 16 years were not merely about those years alone.
Their severity stemmed from the consolidation of a personalized autocracy. If we preserve the same structure and only make minor adjustments, then an election will simply produce a winner and a ruling party-but no fundamental shift.”
Riaz invoked Bangladesh’s long, unfinished struggle to build what he termed a “consolidated democracy.” Efforts in 1973, 1991 and 2009 failed to achieve this goal, he said, noting that the lack of unity among political parties following the collapse of Sheikh Hasina’s authoritarian system had once again fragmented the opposition.
“What we need is clarity on what we want from this election,” he added. “If the election articulates that vision, then I believe we can move closer to the democracy we have long sought.”
Riaz’s remarks come amid growing uncertainty over the July Charter, the reform blueprint drafted by the National Consensus Commission and circulated among political parties last week. While the BNP and several centrist parties have signaled their readiness to sign, Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolan Bangladesh and others have insisted on a binding legal framework before committing.
The commission’s tenure, originally due to end September 15, may be extended to allow further negotiations.
Political analysts say Riaz’s warning reflects concerns that prolonged deadlock could undercut the momentum for reform and create space for renewed instability.
His emphasis on both the necessity of elections and the urgency of structural reform captures the dilemma now facing Bangladesh’s political class: how to balance short-term electoral deadlines with long-term institutional change.