Jamaat Ameer cites February-April as viable election period

Staff Reporter :

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman on Saturday proposed that the next national election be held either in February or April 2026, taking into accounts both the country’s climatic realities and political context.

Speaking at a joint conference of district and metropolitan-level Jamaat leaders at Al-Falah Auditorium in Dhaka’s Moghbazar, Dr. Rahman said February could be a practical window if meaningful reforms and credible justice processes are implemented before the start of Ramadan, which falls in early March. However, if public trust is not restored by then, he insisted the polls must not be delayed beyond April.

“Late February and most of March coincide with Ramadan,” he noted. “This is not a practical time for national elections. The country’s weather, along with the public mood, must be taken into account.”

The Jamaat chief stated that the current political transformation would only be meaningful if it results in credible justice and not merely the replacement of individuals. “Is it the collapse of fascism or just the fall of the fascists?” he asked, emphasising that the country had yet to close the painful chapters of its past.

Recalling the period between 2009 and August 5, 2024 – when the Awami League and its allies held power – Dr. Rahman alleged that systematic repression was carried out, particularly against Islamic and opposition voices.

He pointed to three events that he labeled as “massacres”: the 2009 Pilkhana mutiny, the 2013 crackdown on Hefazat-e-Islam at Shapla Chattar, and the July-August 2024 episodes, where he claimed many were killed or permanently injured.