Bangladesh is set to hold elections in February 2026, the country's interim leader and Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus said Tuesday.

It will be the first election in Bangladesh since a mass uprising overthrew the government of prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year.

Hasina stepped down in August 2024 and fled to India, after weeks of deadly protests that started over a controversial quota system for government jobs, but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

"On behalf of the interim government, I will write a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner requesting that the election be arranged before Ramadan in February 2026," Yunus said in a broadcast on the one-year anniversary of Hasina's ouster. 

As leader of a caretaker government, Yunus said he will step down after the vote. 

"We will step into the final and most important phase after delivering this speech to you, and that is the transfer of power to an elected government", he said.

Yunus said his administration will ensure the election is conducted in a fair, peaceful manner.

Thousands celebrate uprising anniversary

Ahead of the announcement, thousands of Bangladeshis gathered in the capital, Dhaka, to mark the first anniversary of the mass protest movement. Rallies, concerts, and prayer sessions were to celebrate the anniversary, which supporters of the movement dubbed a "second liberation."

During the commemorations, Yunus read out the "July Declaration," which is meant to give constitutional recognition to the 2024 student-led uprising.

"The people of Bangladesh express their desire that the student-people uprising of 2024 will get proper state and constitutional recognition," said Yunus, with representatives of political parties present.

"The July Declaration will feature in the schedule of the reformed constitution as framed by the government formed through the next national election,” he added.

"We must ensure that no future government can become fascist again. The state must be repaired in such a way that whenever signs of fascism are found anywhere, it can be eradicated immediately," Yunus emphasized.

What happened in Bangladesh?

Sheik Hasina was the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Bangladesh. Her role at the helm of a 170-million-strong country had been uninterrupted for 15 years.

Although he country's economy flourished under her rule, political opponents increasingly suffered under her strict leadership. 

During her time in office, violent crackdowns on protests occurred time and again, and many opposition figures were arrested.

In July of 2024, young people took to the streets protesting a quota for government jobs that reserved 30% of public sector positions for those who fought for independence in 1971 and their descendants.

Since Hasina's party, the Awami League, had a prominent role in Bangladesh's fight for independence, they would have been prime beneficiaries of the new rule.

The protest movement escalated into violent clashes with police and over 300 were killed.

Defying a curfew and increased military pressure, protesters stormed Hasina's official residence, forcing her to flee

Edited by: Wesley Rahn