General elections in Bangladesh could be held by late 2025 or early 2026, interim leader Muhammad Yunus said on Monday.

The 84-year-old Nobel laureate said the completion of electoral reforms would decide the timeframe of the polls.

"If there is political consensus and the voter list is prepared accurately with only minor reforms, it may be possible to hold elections by the end of 2025," Yunus said in a televised speech.

"If additional reforms are needed, and taking into account national consensus, it may take at least another six months."

Yunus was delivering an address on the 53rd anniversary of Bangladesh winning independence from Pakistan.

After the fall of Sheikh Hasina

Yunus heads the caretaker government established after protests ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August. 

Hasina, 77, fled to India after mass protests amid allegations of human rights abuses.

Her Awami League government faced accusations of rigged elections and suppression of opposition, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). 

Hundreds of people were killed in the weeks prior to Hasina's ouster, mostly by police fire. Reprisal killings after her fall saw scores more dead.

An arrest warrant for Hasina has also been issued.

Yunus's administration has launched reforms to restore democratic institutions and address past abuses.

The BNP and other opposition groups are pushing for expedited polls. Bangladesh last held elections in January, which were widely criticized as neither free nor fair.   

Religious tensions simmering

Yunus is navigating the country of 173 million people at a time when religious tensions are flaring with the minority Hindus saying they are facing violent oppression under the interim government.

Former PM Hasina also issued a statement accusing the interim leader of failing to protect Hindus and other minorities.

Ties with India are also fraying following the arrest of a Hindu religious leader in the southern city of Chittagong and the storming of a Bangladeshi consular office by demonstrators in the northeast Indian state of Tripura, which borders Bangladesh.

ss/lo (AFP, Reuters)