Similarly, the National Citizen Party (NCP)—a newly formed party comprised of leaders from the July uprising—also criticised the announcement. In an immediate response, the NCP accused the interim government of favouring a specific political group in electoral matters.
To prevent such criticism and confusion, many believe the interim government should have pursued consensus among major political parties before announcing an election timeframe. Instead of revealing new plans following a one-on-one meeting with Tarique Rahman abroad, Professor Yunus could have engaged with a broader range of political stakeholders at home and offered a more definitive, condition-free announcement.

*Rabiul Islam is a journalist at Prothom Alo. He can be reached at [email protected]

*The views are of the writer’s own.