National elections must be held in February: Fakhrul

NN Online:

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that the next national election must be held in February 2026, adding that there will be no deviation from this timeline.

He said the decision regarding the election timeline was finalised during a meeting in London between Tarique Rahman and Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus.

“This is our only goal — elections in February 2026. There will be no exceptions,” he also said.

Fakhrul made the remarks while addressing a protest rally at the BNP’s central office in Nayapaltan, Dhaka, on Monday afternoon (July 14).

The event was organised by BNP’s Dhaka North and South units, demanding justice over alleged propaganda against acting chairman Tarique Rahman, the recent Mitford murder, and what the party described as “brutal killings” across the country.

He alleged that certain political groups were using the Mitford incident to steer national politics in a different direction, calling it a “new conspiracy.” “Whenever the people of Bangladesh try to stand up, conspirators attempt to destabilise the country,” he added.

Fakhrul accused these groups of trying to block elections and suppress the people’s right to vote.

He claimed the aim was to weaken the BNP through “vulgar propaganda” and defamatory slogans targeting Tarique Rahman. “But BNP has always overcome such challenges and risen like a phoenix,” he said.

Highlighting the acting chairman’s political vision, Fakhrul stated that Tarique Rahman was consulting with “wise people” to lead the country toward progress, job creation, and fulfilling citizens’ basic needs. “And yet, they are attacking him,” he added.
Calling the conspiracy “very dangerous,” he said it was an attempt to bury democracy by sowing division and unrest. “Just as we removed fascists once, we will stand with the people again to ensure they cannot return,” he said.

Urging party leaders and activists to remain calm, Fakhrul warned them not to fall into any traps. “They are trying to provoke us, but we will pursue democracy through peaceful means,” he said.

“They’ve gone mad ever since Tarique Rahman confirmed the election plan with the Chief Adviser in London,” Fakhrul claimed, calling on supporters to stay patient and resilient.