THERE seems to be a broad consensus by now that the nation cannot afford to have the next national election delayed beyond February, as doing so would further undermine stability. At a Prothom Alo roundtable, participants also stressed that the government must play a more decisive role in ensuring that the polls take place on schedule to avoid the risk of a plunge back into chaos. One speaker even warned that delaying the election could endanger national security.

The prevailing uncertainty is already taking a toll on the country. Beyond politics, it is fuelling an economic crisis marked by rising poverty and unemployment. The interim government, inherently weak as it is, cannot provide the long-term stability needed to tackle these challenges. Public confidence in governance in general seems quite low. The cost of a delayed democratic transition has also been evident in rising social unrest.

The core challenge right now is not the lack of reform ideas, but the failure to implement them. Leaders across the political spectrum appear to agree on the need for change, but their unity must translate into concrete action. We acknowledge that this moment is an opportunity for a proper transition to democracy, not simply a change in leadership. It is about building a system that reflects the aspirations of the people.

A prolonged interim period without a clear mandate would, however, make it difficult to carry out the necessary constitutional and institutional reforms. The longer the delay, the harder it will be to implement those changes.

Political parties, therefore, must rise above their divisions and petty interests. The responsibility for ensuring a peaceful transition through elections also rests with them. They cannot allow their disunity to become a pretext for delaying the election. Against this backdrop, the fresh demands raised by Jamaat-e-Islami and like-minded parties underscore the underlying complexities of that endeavour. These groups are seeking to tie the polls to a four-point agenda, including the implementation of the July Charter and a proportional representation (PR) system for an Upper House. Their demands, which also include a call to ban the Jatiya Party, introduce a new layer of tension in an already delicate process.

But these demands, whether justified or not, should not be allowed to derail the election in the larger national interest. Politicians must accept that the election is a matter of national urgency in which any partisan demands, while significant to the parties involved, should not be viewed as absolute preconditions. For the sake of stability, these issues must be addressed through dialogue — and swiftly — not through actions that could jeopardise the ongoing process.

Political parties must try to look beyond their immediate demands and divisions. The time for arguments over various demands has passed; the time for action is now.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2025