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The eleventh day of the second phase of discussions between the National Consensus Commission and political parties took place on Thursday at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital. A joint statement issued in London, United Kingdom, had announced that elections could be held in February next year, and its implementation will be based on the National Consensus Commission’s report or the July Certificate. On Thursday, Chief Adviser to the interim government, Professor Muhammad Yunus, conveyed this during a meeting with the co-chair of the National Consensus Commission, Professor Ali Riaz. This information was obtained from a source related to the Chief Adviser’s office. According to the source, Professor Ali Riaz and Monir Haider, the special assistant to the Chief Adviser responsible for liaising with political parties, met with Professor Muhammad Yunus on Thursday evening. The meeting discussed the progress of the National Consensus Commission and identified areas where discussions were stalled. When contacted, Monir Haider confirmed that the meeting with the Chief Adviser had taken place. Despite several rounds of discussions between the National Consensus Commission and political parties regarding appointments to constitutional institutions, the process of constitutional amendments, and direct voting for women’s reserved seats, no consensus has been reached so far. Several parties, including the BNP, have raised objections to the proposals put forward by the Reform Commission in these areas. The source further revealed that during the meeting, the Chief Adviser emphasized several reform priorities. He stressed ensuring independent and impartial appointments to constitutional institutions, provisions to prevent any party from arbitrarily amending the constitution in the future, and arrangements for direct elections to women’s reserved seats. The Chief Adviser expressed support for holding elections only after ensuring these reforms. On Thursday, at a discussion at the National Press Club, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir thanked the Chief Adviser, saying, “He [the Chief Adviser] has directed the Election Commission to complete all preparations for the election by December, which is a very positive step.” A source related to the Chief Adviser’s office stated that a meeting between the National Consensus Commission and the Election Commission was held last Tuesday. The Chief Adviser was briefed on this matter during Thursday’s meeting. In the meeting with Professor Ali Riaz, the Chief Adviser noted that he closely follows the discussions of the National Consensus Commission with political parties, which are broadcast live on BTV News. He listens attentively to everyone’s statements and views the fact that the parties are discussing in a cordial environment as highly positive. He expressed hope that significant progress would be made in the discussions over the next three weeks, paving the way for the implementation of the London announcement. On Wednesday, during a meeting with high-level law enforcement officials, the Chief Adviser instructed that all preparations for the election be completed by December, a directive later communicated to the media by the Chief Adviser’s press secretary. During Professor Yunus’s visit to the United Kingdom, he met with BNP acting chairman Tariq Rahman. Following their meeting on June 13 in London, a joint statement noted that the Chief Adviser had said elections could be held in the week before the start of Ramadan in 2026 (early February) if all preparations were completed. This would require sufficient progress in reforms and justice by that time. However, after the London announcement, the lack of visible progress toward holding the thirteenth national parliamentary election in early February created some skepticism among BNP leaders. On Wednesday, during a meeting with high-level law enforcement officials, the Chief Adviser reiterated his directive to complete all election preparations by December, which was later communicated to the media by his press secretary. For this reason, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, at a discussion at the National Press Club on Thursday, thanked the Chief Adviser, stating, “He [the Chief Adviser] has directed the Election Commission to complete all election preparations by December, which is a very positive step.”
