Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunus has issued a stark warning about the deluge of disinformation threatening to undermine Bangladesh’s pivotal February elections. The 85-year-old interim leader revealed he has urgently appealed to United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk for assistance in combating what he describes as a coordinated misinformation campaign originating from both international and domestic sources.
In an official statement released Tuesday, Yunus’s office detailed his grave concerns about the potential impact of fabricated news and malicious rumors circulating across social media platforms. This electoral process marks the nation’s first democratic exercise since the August 2024 student-led uprising that ended Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year authoritarian regime, plunging the South Asian nation into prolonged political instability.
European Union election observation delegations have characterized the upcoming February 12 vote as the most significant democratic undertaking of 2026, highlighting its importance for the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million people. Yunus, who returned from exile to lead a transitional caretaker government following the revolution, is scheduled to relinquish power after the elections.
The Nobel laureate inherited what he characterizes as a fundamentally fractured political system and has championed comprehensive constitutional reforms designed to prevent a regression to autocratic governance. A national referendum on these proposed structural changes will coincide with the election date, aiming to establish robust checks and balances among the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government.
UN rights commissioner Turk has reportedly pledged the organization’s support in addressing the disinformation crisis, acknowledging the critical importance of preserving electoral integrity in one of Asia’s most densely populated democracies.