Recently, claims have circulated on online news platforms and social media, particularly Facebook, stating that the parliamentary elections are likely to be held on December 6, citing the interim government's Chief Adviser.

An investigation by the Rumor Scanner team reveals that Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus has not made any statement confirming December 6 as the potential election date. In reality, he mentioned that the earliest possible time for elections could be by the end of this year but did not specify any particular date.

A keyword search on this issue led to a news report published on February 11 on the YouTube channel of the media outlet Nagorik TV, titled "December 6 Elections, Yunus Government, and Election Commission Ready." The report references an interview given by Dr. Muhammad Yunus to Japan’s NHK Television, where he stated that preparations are underway to hold the 13th parliamentary elections towards the end of the year. According to sources from the Chief Adviser’s Office, Dr. Yunus does not want the elections to be postponed beyond December. The report also suggests that discussions are ongoing regarding the possibility of holding elections on Democracy Day, December 6. However, the report does not attribute this date directly to the Chief Adviser.

A similar report published on the Dhaka Prokash news website on February 11 also states that, according to reliable sources, there is a possibility of holding elections on December 6, Democracy Day. Further investigation into the origin of this claim points to an article published in the electronic version of the February 11 print edition of Amar Desh, titled "Possible Date for National Parliamentary Elections: December 6." The article mentions that Dr. Yunus, in his interview with NHK, stated that preparations are being made to hold the 13th parliamentary elections towards the end of this year. It also references a meeting between Dr. Yunus and the BNP on the previous night, where he reportedly said that elections would take place by December. Sources from the BNP and the Chief Adviser’s Office confirmed that Dr. Yunus does not support the idea of delaying elections beyond December. According to reliable sources, December 6, Democracy Day, has been proposed as the possible election date. Notably, since the fall of the autocratic regime of Ershad in 1990, December 6 has been observed as Democracy Day.

A review of Japan-based NHK Television’s website revealed a news report titled "Bangladesh Interim Leader Lays Out Path Ahead," published on February 6. This report states that, in an interview on February 5, Dr. Muhammad Yunus mentioned that the earliest possible time for elections could be by the end of this year. However, no potential election date was mentioned in the NHK report.

To verify the claim, the Rumor Scanner team contacted Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Mazumder, Deputy Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, who also confirmed that Dr. Muhammad Yunus has not made any statement regarding December 6 as the potential election date.

Therefore, the claim that Dr. Muhammad Yunus has confirmed December 6 as the likely date for parliamentary elections is false.

Original News Source: https://rumorscanner.com/fact-check/false-claim-that-chief-adviser-said-potential-election-date-is-6-december/138831