Bangladesh Army Chief Pushes for December Elections, Says Elected Government Needed for Stability

New Delhi: Bangladesh’s army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman has told his officers that general elections should be held by December this year, stating that only an elected government could bring political stability to the country.

The army chief was speaking on Wednesday (May 21) at an event in the Dhaka cantonment for officers, which was attended by some in person and virtually by others who are posted around the world in UN peacekeeping missions.

Several Bangladeshi media outlets reported, citing sources, that the army chief said general elections should be held by the end of 2025.

“Bangladesh needs political stability. This is only possible through an elected government, not by unelected decision-makers,” a source quoted him as saying to the Daily Star.

His remarks are significant as the interim government, which assumed office in August last year, has yet to announce an election date. Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has so far said that elections could be held anytime between December 2025 and June 2026, without committing to a timeline.

The military has played a complex role in Bangladeshi politics, having ruled directly for 15 years until 1990 and again for two years until December 2008. Under the Sheikh Hasina government, the army had remained outside the political sphere.

However, the army chief was instrumental in Hasina’s ouster. Soldiers on the streets were instructed not to fire on protestors as she was flown into exile in India aboard a military aircraft. Shortly afterward, Waker-uz-Zaman announced that an interim government would be formed.

As per the Dhaka Tribune, the general asserted that the “right to shape the nation’s future belongs to an elected government”.

With the police discredited over allegations of politicisation during the Hasina regime and unable to maintain law and order, the army was granted magisterial powers. However, Bangladesh’s army chief expressed concern that such a role could undermine the military’s long-term defence preparedness.

“The army is meant for defending the nation, not for policing. We must return to barracks after elections,” he was quoted as saying.

Following a 30-minute address, the army chief also took questions from officers.

He reportedly criticised the proposed humanitarian corridor with Myanmar’s Rakhine state, calling it unacceptable.

“There will be no corridor. The sovereignty of Bangladesh is not negotiable,” he was quoted in media reports, adding that only a political government elected by the people could take such decisions.

He also warned that the corridor plan could pull Bangladesh into a dangerous proxy conflict.

The Daily Star also reported that officers raised concerns about a targeted smear campaign against General Waker-uz-Zaman and the armed forces. In response, the army chief reportedly said that such efforts were not just attacks on the military but part of a broader attempt to erode public confidence in the institution.

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