Since it gained independence from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh has struggled with election integrity. As a result of growing and widespread distrust of the government, the country saw an all-time low voting turnout in its January 2024 general election.

On July 20, 2024, Sheikh Hasina resigned as Bangladesh’s prime minister after 15 years in power. She fled the country amid mass unrest and deadly protests fueled by public rejection of her increasingly authoritarian governance. 

Twenty days later, while in exile, Hasina formally announced she was stepping down. Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus was appointed Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, the interim equivalent of prime minister. Yunus pledged that elections would take place no later than June 2026, with the current intention of holding them in the first half of April 2026, according to a Reuters report.

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