Dhaka, Dec. 12 -- The Election Commission on Thursday announced that its long-delayed national election will be held on February 12, a date that now stands as a defining moment in the country's attempt to restore democratic order after the mass uprising of 2024 dismantled the entrenched political establishment.

The announcement, delivered in a televised address by Chief Election Commissioner A.M.M. Nasir Uddin, also confirmed that a nationwide referendum on implementing the July National Charter will take place the same day - a dual exercise unprecedented in scale and political significance.

The schedule places the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, under mounting pressure to steer the country toward a credible vo...