Bangladesh Bar Council election deferred amid disruption fears from 'fuel crisis'

The Bangladesh Bar Council has postponed its 2026 elections, originally scheduled for May 19, amid concerns that "a severe fuel shortage" would disrupt nationwide campaigning.

An emergency meeting held at the Bar Council building confirmed the decision, citing difficulties faced by candidates across both general and regional seats.

In a media statement on Wednesday night, the council said the move follows multiple requests from different lawyers’ associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, Dhaka Bar Association, and Chattogram District Bar Association.

The ongoing energy crunch has made it nearly impossible for participants to engage in extensive electoral activities across the country, it added.

The council took the overall situation and the formal appeals into account before deciding to pull the plug on the scheduled voting date, bdnews24.com reported citing the statement.

The decision to hold the polls on May 19 was initially reached during a meeting on April 2, presided over by Bar Council Chairman Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal.

High-profile members, including Finance Committee Chairman ASM Bakhtiar Anwar and Legal Education Committee Chairman Abdul Al Mamun, were present when the date was unanimously fixed.

Subsequently, the official schedule was gazetted on April 7, setting the window for nomination filings between April 9 and April 16.

Under the declared schedule, the scrutiny of nomination papers was set for April 23, with the final date for withdrawal on April 30.

The Bar Council consists of 14 elected members -- seven from general seats and seven representing regional groups.

While voters from the Supreme Court and hill tract districts cast seven votes for general candidates, local bar members also vote for their respective regional representatives.

Since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, 2024, the council has been functioning under an ad-hoc committee.