Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Monday reaffirmed that the upcoming general election will be held on time, saying the nation is eagerly waiting to reclaim its voting rights.

“The nation is eagerly waiting to exercise their voting rights which were stolen by the autocratic regime,” he said.

Professor Yunus made the remarks during a telephone conversation with Sergio Gor, the US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, at around 7:30pm (Dhaka time).

The half-hour discussion covered a range of issues, including trade and tariff negotiations between Bangladesh and the United States, the forthcoming general election, Bangladesh’s democratic transition, and the recent murder of young political activist Sharif Osman Hadi.

During the call, the US Special Envoy congratulated Prof Yunus on his leadership during the recent tariff negotiations, under which Bangladesh succeeded in reducing US reciprocal tariffs on Bangladeshi goods to 20 percent.

Sergio Gor, who also serves as the US Ambassador to India, also discussed the massive funeral of Shaheed Osman Hadi and its broader political implications.

The Chief Adviser alleged that supporters of the ousted autocratic regime were spending millions of dollars to disrupt the electoral process and that their fugitive leader was inciting violence.

However, he said the Interim Government is fully prepared to address any challenges.

“We have roughly 50 days to go before the election. We want to hold a free, fair and peaceful election. We want to make it remarkable,” Prof Yunus said.

Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashiruddin, National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman, and SDG Coordinator and Senior Secretary Lamiya Morshed were present during the call.