Staff Correspondent

BNP senior leader Dr AZM Zahid Hossain on Monday said the people of Bangladesh will determine when the election will be held, regardless of the Chief Adviser’s comments on the matter.

“Whatever the Chief Adviser says, people will decide when the (national) election will be held in this country,” he said.

Dr Zahid, a member of BNP's standing committee, made the remarks after paying tribute to the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War at the National Memorial, marking the Victory Day.

Earlier in the day, Chief Adviser Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus indicated that the 13th parliamentary election might be scheduled for the end of 2025 or the first half of 2026.

"Broadly speaking, the election could be scheduled between the end of 2025 and the first half of 2026," he said in a televised speech to the nation on Monday morning.

Dr Yunus reiterated his appeal for the completion of all major reforms before the elections.

In response to the Chief Adviser’s remarks, Dr Zahid said the Chief Adviser has expressed his opinion, but the ultimate decision regarding the election date lies with the people of Bangladesh.

He said the BNP has vowed, on this Victory Day, to restore people’s rights to vote and other rights. “The country’s problems will be resolved if the power of people is returned to them. The sooner the democratic environment is restored, the greater relief will come to the country,” he said.

Earlier, party leaders and workers, led by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, paid homage to the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War at the National Memorial in Savar by laying wreaths, marking the 54th Victory Day.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was scheduled to speak to the press after paying the tribute, but he suddenly fell ill and was taken to the Savar Combined Military Hospital (CMH).