Polls schedule to come once electoral roll ready: Yunus

Chief Adviser of the interim government, Dr Muhammad Yunus, has stated that the date of the upcoming national elections will be announced after a political consensus is reached following necessary reforms and finalising the electoral roll. 

He made this remark during a meeting with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, September 24.

In the meeting, Yunus highlighted the establishment of six commissions by his government, tasked with recommending critical reforms in areas such as elections, civil administration, police, the judiciary, anti-corruption measures, and the constitution. 

He assured that the government would consult political parties on the commissions' recommendations, and once there is consensus and the voter list is finalized, the election date will be announced.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva expressed her support for these reform initiatives and indicated that the IMF would expedite financial support for the Bangladesh government. 

She mentioned that an IMF team had already been sent to Dhaka and is currently working on assessing the situation. The team's findings will be presented to the IMF Board of Directors next month.

Based on the report, the IMF could either introduce a new lending program for Bangladesh or extend additional financial assistance under the existing program launched early last year, Georgieva added.

The meeting was also attended by Energy, Power, and Transport Adviser Dr Fouzul Kabir Khan and noted economist Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya.