Bangladesh will hold elections in February 2026, interim leader Muhammad Yunus said on Tuesday, the first polls since a mass uprising overthrew the government last year.

“On behalf of the interim government, I will write a letter to the chief election commissioner requesting that the election be arranged before Ramazan in February 2026,” Yunus said in a broadcast on the one-year anniversary of the ousting of ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus, 85, is leading the caretaker government as its chief adviser until elections, and has said he will step down after the vote.

“We will step into the final and most important phase after delivering this speech to you, and that is the transfer of power to an elected government,” he said.

Yunus had earlier said elections would be held in April, but key political parties have been demanding he hold them earlier and before the month of Ramazan.

“I urge you all to pray for us so that we can hold a fair and smooth election, enabling all citizens to move forward successfully in building a ‘New Bangladesh’,” he added.

“On behalf of the government, we will extend all necessary support to ensure that the election is free, peaceful and celebratory in spirit. “

In an earlier address, he said: “Together, we will build a Bangladesh where tyranny will never rise again.”

He paid tribute to those who sacrificed their lives.

“Fallen autocrats and their self-serving allies remain active,” however, he added, urging unity to protect the gains of the uprising while his government holds reform talks with political parties and civil society.

His interim government had launched sweeping reforms, he added, while trials for those responsible for the “July killings” were progressing swiftly.

Police were on high alert throughout the capital, with armoured vehicles patrolling the streets to deter any attempt by Hasina’s banned Awami League to disrupt the day’s events.

“Let this anniversary not be a day of retrospection, but a rallying cry for a brighter tomorrow,” Hasina said in an open letter to the people of Bangladesh, adding that she had never resigned from her duties as prime minister.

“Bangladesh has overcome adversity before, and we will rise again, stronger, more united, and more determined to build a democracy that truly serves its people.”

The July Declaration formally recognises the 2024 student-led uprising and the shift away from authoritarian rule to democratic renewal.

Despite some opposition, it is backed by major political groups, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former premier Khaleda Zia.

Supporters see the charter as a foundation for institutional reform; critics have warned its impact could be largely symbolic in the absence of a legal framework or parliamentary consensus.