Bangladesh: Yunus confirms to the US that elections would take place in February

Bangladesh: In a statement released on Wednesday, Bangladesh’s interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus reiterated the administration’s resolve to conduct the referendum and general elections on February 12 as planned.

The Chief Adviser made the comments during a late Tuesday evening visit to the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka from two former top U.S. diplomats, Albert Gombis and Morse Tan, who both worked under the Donald Trump administration.

Yunus emphasized that the Interim Government remained steadfast in its commitment to hold the elections on February 12 and to transfer power to a democratically elected government once the results are announced, despite the deluge of fake news and intentional confusion surrounding the elections.Elections will take place on February 12—not a day before or later—regardless of who says what, the Chief Adviser said, adding that the vote would be free, fair, and peaceful and would take place in a joyous setting.

According to the statement, he declared that the Interim Government will maintain total neutrality during the elections, guaranteeing an impartial government and fair competition for all political parties.

Prior to the pivotal elections, former Ambassador-at-Large Morse Tan and former Acting Under Secretary of State Albert Gombis are in Bangladesh.

The Chief Adviser and the visiting diplomats talked about a variety of topics during the hour-long meeting, such as the upcoming elections, the July Revolution and its aftermath, the emergence of young protestors, the July Charter and the referendum, fake news and misinformation aimed at the vote, the Rohingya crisis, and the prospects for truth and reconciliation in a post-July Bangladesh.

The Chief Adviser said that his administration was attempting to win “Yes” votes in the referendum and that if the July Charter were approved by the electorate, it would stop the possibility of future tyranny and usher in a new age of democratic rule.

Yunus said that in an effort to cause uncertainty over the elections, supporters of the previous dictatorial administration were disseminating false information and fake news. However, many are on guard. They are becoming more adept at spotting disinformation films produced by AI,” he said.

According to the statement, former Under Secretary Gombis agreed that false news has become “one of the main enemies” of democracy globally and emphasized the need of stepping up efforts to counter the danger.

The Chief Adviser was commended by both diplomats for his pivotal role in guiding the nation throughout the last 18 months.

They questioned if Bangladesh could implement truth and reconciliation programs like to those in South Africa after the end of apartheid.

As a personal friend of the late Nelson Mandela, Yunus claimed to have carefully monitored South Africa’s truth and reconciliation movement, but he did not believe that a comparable action was now possible in Bangladesh since the old dictatorship was still denying its misdeeds.It’s not the proper time. Where do you begin? When you own your mistakes, express regret for your transgressions, and foster the proper environment, you will find truth and reconciliation,” he said.However, there hasn’t been any regret or repentance so far. Rather, they assert that terrorists were responsible for the deaths of young people during the July revolt. Despite the overwhelming proof of their heinous deeds, they continue to live in total denial.

Lamiya Morshed, Senior Secretary and SDG Coordinator, attended the conference as well.