Bangladesh Chief Advisor Yunus directs armed forces to ensure security ahead of elections

DHAKA(Bangladesh):Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has instructed Bangladesh’s armed forces to take comprehensive measures to ensure peace and order across the country in preparation for the 13th National Parliament elections, expected to be held in the first half of February, as reported by Dhaka Tribune.

The directive came during a meeting on Saturday evening at the State Guest House Jamuna with Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, Navy Chief Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hasan, and Air Chief Marshal Hassan Mahmud Khan. National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman also attended the meeting.

According to the Dhaka Tribune, Professor Yunus acknowledged the contributions of the army, navy, and air force in maintaining national stability and law enforcement over the past 15 months. Emphasizing the government’s commitment to holding free, fair, and peaceful elections, he called upon the military leadership to coordinate with civilian authorities to ensure smooth and secure polling nationwide.

During the meeting, the service chiefs briefed the Chief Adviser on their respective operational plans.

According to Dhaka Tribune, a total of 90,000 army personnel, 2,500 navy personnel, and a number of air force personnel will be deployed to maintain law and order. One company of soldiers will be stationed in each upazila.

The military chiefs also extended an invitation to the Chief Adviser to attend the Armed Forces Day celebrations scheduled for November 21.

On October 22, a delegation from the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) met with Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, and confirmed plans to send at least 10 international observers for the country’s upcoming national election, scheduled for February 2026.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Yunus stated that the meeting took place at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka, where the visiting delegation discussed the pre-election environment, electoral reforms, and the role of international and domestic observers in ensuring a transparent and peaceful election.

“We will have robust election observation in February,” said Christopher J Fussner, Member of the Board of Directors of IRI, who led the delegation.
He stated that the deployment of international observers would help mitigate the risk of violence and foster public confidence in the electoral process.

During the meeting, the delegation shared their findings from previous elections and praised the current atmosphere ahead of the upcoming vote.

Fussner noted a visible improvement in the political climate compared to past polls, stating, “From our experience of the previous election, we can see a positive atmosphere, which feels really good. We could tell the difference between the previous election and this election,” the post stated.

The IRI team also included Lisa Curtis, Senior Fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Centre for a New American Security (CNAS); Jessica Keegan, Technical Expert on Democratic Elections and Political Processes at IRI; Steve Cima, Resident Program Director at IRI; and Jami Spykerman, Program Director at the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

Earlier in August, the Office of the Chief Adviser wrote to the Election Commission of Bangladesh, requesting that all preparations be completed to hold the National Parliament elections before the start of Ramadan in February 2026, as per a statement from the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing. (ANI)