A historic victory has been claimed by Bangladesh's Nationalist Party, the BNP, in the nation's first election since the Gen Z-led uprising of 2024. This election has been a highly anticipated event, with the BNP's media team announcing on social media that they have secured enough parliamentary seats to govern independently. Although the Election Commission has yet to confirm the final results, multiple local media outlets have reported the BNP's win.
The BNP is led by Tarique Rahman, the prime ministerial candidate, who returned to Bangladesh in December after a self-imposed exile of 17 years in London. Rahman, 60, is the son of the late former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who passed away in December.
The vote, which was largely seen as a two-way contest between the BNP and an 11-party alliance headed by the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami, took place on Thursday under tight security measures. Concerns of democratic backsliding and rising political violence loomed over the election.
A clear outcome from this vote is considered crucial for restoring political stability in Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim country with a population of 175 million.
The July 2024 student-led revolt, estimated by the UN to have resulted in 1,400 deaths, led to the downfall of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was sent into exile in India. Hasina's Awami League party has since been banned from all political activities, and an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has been in place since her ousting.
Alongside the election, a referendum on constitutional changes was also taking place, including the introduction of a two-term limit for the prime minister and increasing women's representation.
The BNP, considered the frontrunner in this election, was founded by Mr. Rahman's father, Ziaur Rahman, in 1978. For much of the past two decades, the party has been in opposition to the Awami League, boycotting several elections and accusing Hasina's government of systematic vote rigging and political repression.
Mr. Rahman's self-exile in the UK came after Hasina's government pursued multiple corruption and criminal cases against him, charges he has denied. These cases were dropped after Hasina's government collapsed, allowing for his return to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh's parliament consists of 350 seats, with 300 directly elected from single-member constituencies and 50 reserved for women.
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