Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami opposes elections before Hasina's trial, political reforms

Bangladesh’s largest Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami on Saturday firmly opposed holding general elections before the trial of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the completion of key political reforms, a stance that signals a rift with its former ally, the Khaleda Zia-led BNP, and adds to the deepening political uncertainty in the country.

Addressing a public rally in northwestern Lalmonirhat district, bordering India, Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman said that no election will be acceptable to the people unless those responsible for violence under Hasina’s government are brought to justice and structural political reforms are completed.

“Ahead of any election in Bangladesh, the trial of the murderers (Hasina regime leaders) must become visible and reforms are to be done first,” he was quoted as saying by the Naya Diganta newspaper, a publication widely viewed as aligned with Jamaat.

“Ahead of accomplishing these two tasks, the people will not accept any election in Bangladesh,” Rahman said.

The Jamaat leader also called for a relationship with India based on “mutual respect, equality, and good neighbourliness”.

"If we prosper, our neighbours will benefit too. But if our well-being is compromised, India must ask whether theirs can remain unaffected," Rahman said.

Jamaat's comments came three days after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), currently the largest political force outside the interim administration, expressed its frustration over the election deadline after a meeting with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.

"We are not satisfied at all," BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir had told reporters after his meeting with Yunus.

"The Chief Adviser did not give a (clear) deadline. He said the polls would be held between December (2025) and June (2026). We are not satisfied with that," he said.

Alamgir reiterated that elections must be held by December this year. Any further delays could exacerbate Bangladesh’s economic instability and deepen the political crisis, and “it will be harder to bring it under control”, he said.

The BNP leader said his party has "categorically" made it clear that the “cutoff time for polls is December”.

The Jamaat-e-Islami, once a key BNP ally, has increasingly been taking an independent position. At the Lalmonirhat rally, Rahman also spoke about inclusivity, denouncing the country’s historic political polarisation.

The Jamaat chief said his party rejects the divisions of ‘supporter’ and ‘opponent’ and the rhetoric of ‘minority’ versus ‘majority’ which "has long been used to oppress us”.

Rahman said Jamaat envisions a society where both men and women contribute equally to nation-building and if his party comes to power, women will be given respect, protection, and employment opportunities.

He also urged Yunus to ensure that the upcoming elections are free from the influence of “black money and muscle power”, emphasising the need for a truly level playing field.

The Jamaat chief's first such clear stance on election issues appears to align closely with that of the newly-floated National Citizen Party (NCP), a student-led group believed to have emerged with Yunus’s backing.

Earlier this week at a party rally, NCP convenor Nahid Islam had said, “No election can be held under such an administration.”

Meanwhile, amid mounting criticism, Yunus’s office released a statement on Saturday reaffirming his commitment to democratic reforms.

Speaking to a visiting delegation from the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) on Thursday, the Chief Adviser said: “We want to make sure that the election will be the best in Bangladesh’s history and a milestone for the country’s democratic journey.”

Yunus assured the delegates that Bangladesh will host a free and fair election between December 2025 and June 2026, the statement said.

Bangladesh has been under an interim administration since August 2024, when Hasina was forced to step down amid widespread student-led protests organised by the movement Students Against Discrimination (SAD).

The unrest, driven by allegations of authoritarianism, corruption, and political repression, culminated in Hasina's departure to India and the collapse of her nearly 16-year Awami League government.

Yunus, nobel laureate and founder of microfinance Grameen Bank, assumed leadership of the interim government on August 8, 2024. His return to politics came at the request of the SAD movement, which has since fragmented, with a major faction forming the NCP.

While initially welcomed as a neutral figure to guide the country through a democratic transition, Yunus has faced increasing pressure over delays in setting a timeline for general elections.