Election date likely in 4–5 days: Mostafa Haider

NN Online:

Jatiya Party (Zafar faction) Chairman Mostafa Jamal Haider on Saturday said Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus is expected to announce a specific date for the next national election within the next four to five days.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting between Professor Yunus and leaders of 12 political parties at the state guesthouse Jamuna, Haider said, “The Chief Adviser has assured us that he will declare the exact election date within four to five days. This is a message of great joy for the nation.”

Haider, who also leads the 12-party alliance aligned with the BNP, described elections as the only viable solution to the current political crisis. “The national election will address many of the ongoing issues and help end the prevailing unrest,” he said.

According to him, Professor Yunus reaffirmed during the meeting that holding a credible election is the only path to restoring stability. “He was very clear that elections are the only way forward, and a date will be announced shortly,” Haider added.

Haider further stated that their alliance warned against any return of what he called “the fascist force” ousted last year through a mass movement. “Our primary goal now is to restore democratic rights and form a government through the people’s mandate. We are committed to resisting fascist forces through united efforts.”

The meeting at Jamuna state guesthouse began around 5:00 pm and included leaders from 12 political parties: Aminul Haque Tipu Biswas (Jatiya Gono Front), Maulana Abdul Majed Athari (Nezam-e-Islam Party), Maulana Yusuf Ashraf (Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis), Fariduzzaman Farhad (NPP), Dr Mushtaq Hossain (Bangladesh JASAD), Bobby Hajjaj (Nationalist Democratic Movement), Mufti Sakhawat Hossain Raji (Islami Oikya Jote), Rafiqul Islam Babul (Bhasani Janashakti Party), Dr Mostafizur Rahman Iran (Bangladesh Labour Party), Masud Rana (BASAD-Marxist), and Manjurul Islam Afendi (Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam).

The Chief Adviser’s Senior Assistant Press Secretary Foyez Ahammad confirmed details of the meeting.

This dialogue is part of Professor Yunus’s broader initiative to engage all major political forces ahead of the election. Earlier in the week, he held talks with BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, and the National Citizen Party (NCP). The following day, he met leaders from 13 additional parties, including Gonosamhati Andolon, AB Party, Nagorik Oikya, Gono Odhikar Parishad, LDP, Khelafat Majlis, Biplobi Workers Party, JSD, and CPB.