United News of Bangladesh

The Election Commission will meet President Mohammed Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban on December 10. The President’s Office said the meeting has been scheduled for 12:30 pm on that day. According to the EC, the Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner A.M.M. Nasir Uddin will visit Bangabhaban on Wednesday noon to meet the President. The EC also sent a letter to BTV and Bangladesh Betar to record the Chief Election Commissioner’s (CEC) address on the same day.  

All preparations have been taken for the upcoming national parliamentary elections, said Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Monday (December 08, 2025). “All necessary preparation including training for law enforcement agencies, purchase of body-worn cameras and ensuring electricity at every polling station have been taken,” he said. The Home Adviser came up with the remarks while briefing reporters after the 17th meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on law and order, held at the Secretariat. Read more: National election will be a major test for law enforcers: Adviser Touhid “Training is essential for carrying out any preparation effectively. There is no alternative to proper training. We are continuing training programmes for law enforcement personnel to ensure a free, fair, safe and acceptable election. These will be completed by January,” Jahangir Alam said. “This year, the voting hours have been extended by one hour from 7:30am to 4:30pm which means the counting will continue even after sunset, so we are making arrangements to ensure uninterrupted electricity at all polling centers,” he added. Responding to a question about the killing of a police officer’s parents in Rangpur, the adviser said instructions have been given to arrest the perpetrators soon and bring them under the law. Regarding the recovery of looted firearms, Jahangir Alam said the process is underway. Asked about ensuring a level playing field for the election, the adviser said the government is committed to ensuring a free and fair election. Referring to the Jatiya Party’s allegation, the adviser said, “It is not correct and there are some internal disputes among them.” Read more: Election schedule soon as request made for recording CEC’s address

Bangladesh’s persistent economic fragility cannot be overcome without establishing a genuine balance of power within society and dismantling a long-running ‘loot and plunder economy’ said Former Chairman of the Development Studies Department at Dhaka University, Professor Mahbubullah on Monday The country has been stuck in a cycle of primitive accumulation since December 16, 1971, an economic structure he said continues to distort incentives, hinder productive growth, and sustain inequality, he said. The eminent economist was speaking at a seminar on the publications “Bangladesh State of the Economy 2025” and “Sustainable Development Goals: Bangladesh Progress Report 2025” at the NEC Conference Room in the city. He said that despite adopting numerous policies and reforms, Bangladesh has failed to achieve sustainable outcomes because ‘economic extraction and redistribution of wealth from one set of hands to another remain deeply embedded in the system. “Unless we end this continuous reshuffling of wealth, real productive growth will remain elusive,” he cautioned. Professor Mahbubullah underscored that meaningful economic reforms, including those relating to governance, investment, and market functioning, cannot take root unless the social and political power structure is rebalanced. “We talk about democracy and good governance, but neither will materialise as long as this accumulation process continues. A fair distribution of power across society is the precondition for a functional economy,” he said, adding that without such a foundation, reforms risk remaining superficial. Turning to inflation, the economist expressed doubt about the country’s ability to bring price pressures under control within the next one to three years. He said supply-side bottlenecks, limited productive capacity, and a large demand burden partly driven by population growth make a quick recovery unlikely. “Inflation cannot be tamed while commodity supply remains insufficient compared to money supply. Production must rise, but investment is stagnant. Without new investment, expanding supply in the short term is impossible,” he said. He also pointed to the effects of prolonged government expenditure and increased liquidity injected into the economy, which have exacerbated the imbalance between money circulation and commodity circulation. Professor Mahbubullah expressed deep concern over what he termed a ‘sluggish and depressed’ investment environment, warning that Bangladesh’s productive base is not expanding fast enough to absorb labour or support stable long-term growth. He noted that while readymade garments and foreign remittances remain the two primary pillars of the economy, other promising sectors—such as pharmaceuticals, ceramics, and light engineering—have not been able to scale up due to structural constraints and unfavourable incentives. “A proper incentive structure across fiscal, monetary and planning policies is yet to be formulated. Without it, investors cannot be expected to take risks or expand production,” he added. Describing the prevailing economic order as one driven by extraction rather than production, he said that wealth continues to be generated and redistributed through rent-seeking, misuse of state power, and distortive incentives, rather than productive investment. “This loot and plunder economy has existed under every government for 54 years sometimes more intensely, sometimes less but we have never truly escaped it,” he said. Unless we transition to a production-based economy, the country’s growth will remain vulnerable and uneven, he added.  

The Election Commission (EC) is likely to declare the national election schedule soon, as it sent a letter to Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar to record the Chief Election Commissioner’s (CEC) address on Wednesday (December 10, 2025). EC Senior Secretary Akther Ahmed said the letter requested arrangements for the recording, but it has not yet been confirmed whether the speech will be broadcast on the same day. Traditionally, the EC announces the schedule before every general election through a national address aired on BTV, or Bangladesh Betar, with the recording and the declaration taking place on the same day. Time running out for election schedule announcement: Jamaat “The election schedule will be announced any day this week,” Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah told reporters on Sunday. “By this week, we mean the second week of December, from December 8 to 15.” The 13th parliamentary election and the referendum on the July National Charter (Reform Charter) will be held simultaneously on a single day in early February 2026. White ballot papers will be used for the national election, while pink papers will be used for the referendum. Meanwhile, some 12.76 crore voters are registered to cast their votes across 42,761 polling stations in the country’s 300 constituencies. Read more: CEC Nasir, Election Commissioners in Jamuna for meeting with CA

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar on Monday said a level-playing field for the national election has not been ensured yet. “They (Election Commission) could not confirm yet about the level-playing field of the elections. We’ve raised some specific evidence of the existing administrative situation (before the EC). If this situation continues, we will not accept it as a level-playing field,” he said while briefing reporters after a meeting with the Election Commission. A six-member Jamaat delegation, led by its Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar, met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin and the four election commissioners at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital. The Jamaat secretary general said they asked the Commission to take steps for ensuring the equal ground for all in the election. “You (EC) have to take specific steps. After all, all jurisdictions will fall under the Election Commission after the declaration of schedule,” he said. He said they also suggested the EC should reshuffle the administration again, if needed, for the sake of keeping the administration neutral. “We told them (EC) that if we see that any official is blatantly violating his impartiality after the announcement of schedule, we will bring these issues to their notice,” he added. About the recovery of illegal arms looted from police stations throughout the country after August 05, 2024, the Jamaat leader said they suggested strengthening further the ongoing drive to recover illegal arms. “We’ve discussed the drive for arresting those having illegal arms so that they can’t disturb election or create panic among voters,” said Parwar. The Jamaat also placed several other suggestions including installation of CCTV camera in every polling station, deployment of BGB and Army members to ensure security for polling stations and easing the ongoing registration process for expatriates to vote in the upcoming election. He said the government, political parties and other stakeholders are committed to the nation for arrangement of election before the upcoming Ramadan within the announced election timeline. Tarique slams Jamaat for ‘propaganda’ against BNP echoing Awami League He said the people of the country are waiting for the democratic journey and a free, fair, acceptable and neutral national election. “Time for schedule announcement is running out. We raised the issue to know the Election Commission’s clear announcement and specific decision in this regard,” said Golam Parwar. The Commission told them the election schedule would be announced by this week and specific decision was taken in this regard, he said. In reply to a question if they see any possibility of delaying the election, Parwar said they currently have no such apprehension. “We are not feeling any concern now. They have given us their word and shared their decision. We want to place our trust in that and believe they will adhere to that word,” he said. Five other Jamaat delegation members are ATM Masum, AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad, Matiur Rahman Akanda, Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair and Jashim Uddin Sarker.  

Bangladesh’s economy is ‘struggling but could have been far worse’ and the country’s future now depends on maintaining reform momentum and ensuring an uninterrupted electoral process, said former Lead Economist of the World Bank’s Dhaka office Dr Zahid Hussain said on Monday, “The economy presents a mix of positive and negative indicators with the negative ones still outweighing the positive. The economy is struggling, and so are livelihoods but  it could have been much worse,” he said at a seminar on the publications Bangladesh State of the Economy 2025 and Sustainable Development Goals: Bangladesh Progress Report 2025 at the NEC Conference Room in the capital. He said remittances have reached record levels, illicit financial outflows have slowed, revenue mobilisation has slightly improved, and electricity supply has remained largely stable and Bangladesh also handled recent natural disasters better than expected. “These are the indicators in my positive basket.” Bangladesh economy under pressure despite signs of gradual rebound: Report On the other hand, inflation remains “very high,” growth has slowed, real wages have fallen, employment has stalled, exports have weakened in recent months, and investment remains depressed, he said citing recent World Bank report which shows an increase in the number of people who are poor or at risk of poverty. Dr Hussain identified three reasons the situation did not deteriorate further. The first, he said, is Bangladesh’s “deep social resilience,” which became most visible during the three turbulent days of the August 2024 upheaval when state institutions were largely absent. “There was no government, no police on the streets, no secretaries, no vice-chancellor, no central bank governor  and yet society did not collapse. Thomas Hobbes would turn in his grave seeing this,” he said. The second factor is the interim government’s political management, which he said has reduced the intensity of partisan hostility. He described it as a ‘cultural shift, where political actors increasingly criticise without targeting individuals by name. He said nine months of sustained dialogue and more inclusive political engagement have contributed to a more civil environment. All political parties criticising the interim government for bias is paradoxically, a sign of neutrality,”he added. The third and most critical factor, Dr Hussain said, is macroeconomic management and the ongoing reform drive. Bangladesh, he said, had long engaged in “self-destructive” economic behaviour that became institutionalised. The past 18 months saw an attempt to correct this course, but real progress remains limited.  “Willingness alone is not enough. There is no guarantee of success simply because the intention exists,” he said. “Despite numerous commissions, committees, reports, workshops and consultations signalling the government’s reform intent, the number of ordinances and Cabinet decisions translating these into action has remained “very small,” he added. “We still do not see major visible results on the ground,” Dr Hussain noted. The seminar was attended by senior economists, policymakers, and development practitioners who discussed the economic outlook and progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.  

Onion import from India has resumed through Sonamasjid land port in Chapainawabganj after a three-month suspension. A total of 90 metric tonnes of onions have entered the country so far after the government granted limited permission for onion imports. Mainul Islam, manager of Panama Sonamasjid Port Link Limited, which operates the land port, said two trucks carrying 60 metric tonnes of onions arrived on Sunday evening, followed by another truck bringing 30 metric tonnes on Monday morning. More consignments are expected to arrive throughout the day, he added. Meanwhile, the news of resumed imports has already begun to ease prices in the local market. On Monday, onions are being sold at Tk 80 per kg in the wholesale market and Tk 90 per kg in retail outlets. On Saturday, wholesale onions were priced at Tk 110 per kg while retail prices stood at Tk 120 per kg.  

Four days after a major power disruption, Bangladesh Bank’s server has yet to be fully normal, officials said. They said the online platform for the Interbank Data Processing (ITDP) system, which facilitates mutual exchanges between banks, remains offline due to the server malfunction. A Bangladesh Bank spokesperson said relevant departments are working to resolve the issue. While several critical services have been restored, some essential functions will require more time to resume. The server failure occurred suddenly last Thursday morning following a power outage and voltage fluctuation. The bank’s system failed when the automatic generator did not activate due to a technical error, causing the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) backup to expire and leaving the server room completely without power. The incident disrupted crucial services, including international payment settlements and card-based transactions. Arif Hossain Khan, Executive Director and spokesperson of Bangladesh Bank, said the situation is improving, though the ITDP platform is still offline. “The NPSB (National Payment Switch of Bangladesh), RTGS (Real-Time Gross Settlement), and batch services have been reactivated. However, the ITDP is yet to be fully restored. Work is underway, and we expect the entire system to normalize very soon,” he said. Bangladesh Bank clears path to liquidate nine troubled NBFIs Hossain said intensified technical monitoring will continue until all services are fully functional. Banks have already informed customers about the temporary suspension of the NPSB service and apologised for the inconvenience. Central Bank officials assured that no money is at risk due to the sudden shutdown, although the unexpected disruption did cause transaction delays. Officials pointed out that abrupt shutdowns causes more delays than planned ones, which usually utilise alternative servers. Since last Thursday was the final day for the settlement of many transactions, the outage may result in penalties in some cases. Bangladesh Bank extends Tk8000 crore Sukuk term for five years Complete power loss shutting down the central bank’s server is a rare occurrence, according to officials. While transaction disruptions are not new—previous incidents include a severed BTCL line in April 2021 and two server failures in 2023—a total shutdown due to power failure is recent, they said.

Bangladesh’s economy continues to face significant stress from persistent inflation, weak investor confidence, limited fiscal space and external uncertainties, even as some indicators point to the prospect of a gradual recovery in the coming months, according to  Bangladesh State of the Economy 2025 report released on Monday. The report says depleted foreign exchange reserves, shifting global buyer preferences and geopolitical disruptions have weighed heavily on overall economic performance. General Economic Division (GED) published the report at National Economic Commission of the Planning Commission in the city. Investor sentiment remains fragile, with foreign direct investment (FDI) stuck at critically low levels and unlikely to improve significantly without stronger structural reforms, it said. With revenue mobilisation remaining chronically low, the government’s capacity to undertake essential public investment has been severely constrained, said the report. A provisional estimate by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) indicates a significant shortfall from the annual revenue target. The situation worsened in June when revenue collection was hampered by NBR officials’ protest activities against a government move to split the NBR into two separate divisions. Although the standoff was eventually resolved and normal operations resumed, the temporary disruption added pressure to an already strained fiscal framework. Inflation—hovering at 8–9% during FY25—continues to erode real incomes, particularly for low-income and rural households. The report attributes this persistent inflation to food price shocks, higher import costs driven by a weakening taka, rising energy prices, and ongoing supply chain disruptions. It warns that controlling inflation is central to rebuilding investor confidence, stabilising the financial sector, and creating conditions for stronger economic growth in FY2025–26. Despite these headwinds, the last six months of FY25 have shown “signs of promise”driven by improvements in domestic demand and stabilisation in key external indicators, it said. However, the repirt said, major multilateral institutions maintain cautious growth projections. The World Bank expects GDP growth between 3.3% and 4.1% in FY2025, while the Asian Development Bank (ADB) forecasts 3.9%. A modest rebound to 5.1%–5.3% is projected for FY2026, contingent on improved macroeconomic stability and policy reforms. Remittance inflows have remained stable, helping to ease pressure on the balance of payments. Import patterns indicate a gradual revival in domestic economic activity, with capital machinery imports showing encouraging signs of recovery—an indication of renewed investment intent. Export earnings, led by the ready-made garments (RMG) sector, have stayed resilient due to compliance improvements, innovation, and broader market diversification. Foreign exchange reserves stabilised at just above three months of import coverage, marking an improvement from earlier periods of volatility. Even so, the report stresses that Bangladesh stands at a “critical juncture”. The prospects for accelerated economic recovery will hinge on decisive policy actions and the ability to address several looming vulnerabilities including high inflation, financial sector weaknesses, governance gaps, and an investment climate that remains unattractive to local and foreign investors. According to the analysis, the country must prioritise job creation to absorb a rapidly expanding labour force, strengthen manufacturing sectors particularly garments and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) boost remittance flows, and scale up investments in human capital. Without these reforms, Bangladesh risks slower long-term growth, deteriorating living standards, rising poverty rates, and widening inequality. The report emphasised that the coming year or two will be crucial in determining whether Bangladesh can consolidate recent gains or fall behind its development trajectory. It underscores the need for a comprehensive national strategy for sustainable development, supported by structural reforms and economic policy realignment. Such reforms would need to focus on innovation, promoting both domestic and foreign investment, improving regulatory efficiency, and ensuring that the benefits of growth are broadly shared. “With proactive and coherent policy actions, Bangladesh has a real chance to re-accelerate,” the report said. “Clear communication, strong policy credibility, and reforms that directly improve the lives of ordinary people—not just macroeconomic indicators—will be critical for restoring confidence and securing resilient, inclusive growth,” it added  

Police recovered the bodies of a woman and her teenage daughter from a flat in the capital’s Mohammadpur area on Monday. The deceased were identified as Malaila Afroz, 48, and her daughter Nafisa Binte Aziz, 15. Assistant Commissioner (Mohammadpur Zone) of Tejgaon Division under Dhaka Metropolitan Police Md Abdullah Al Mamun said the two bodies were found on the seventh floor of a building on Shahjahan Road. He said preliminarily it appears that their domestic help might have killed them and fled. Police were sent to the house in the morning after receiving the information, he added.