Tarique Rahman set to be PM as BNP secures landslide win in Bangladesh elections
The Awami League party of Hasina was barred from contesting the polls, which recorded 59.44 per cent voter turnout
BNP’s top leader, Tarique Rahman, set to become Bangladesh's Prime Minister (Photo: @Mariyamsultana/X)
Dhaka, Feb 14: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secured a sweeping victory with more than two-thirds majority in the landmark parliamentary elections and is making a spectacular return to power after a gap of two decades.
The 13th Parliamentary elections assumed significance as they were held after a period of tumultuous political vacuum, instability and fragile security situation, including widespread attacks on minorities after the student-led protests brought down the 15-year rule of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
According to the unofficial results announced by the Election Commission (EC), the BNP has bagged 209 out of 297 seats, while right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami, known to be close to Pakistan, secured 68 seats.
The Awami League party of Hasina was barred from contesting the polls, which recorded 59.44 per cent voter turnout.
The EC postponed the announcement of results in two seats-Chattogram-2 and Chattogram-4. The election in one seat was postponed due to the death of a candidate.
BNP’s top leader, Tarique Rahman, is set to become the Prime Minister for the first time.
He will replace the interim government chief, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, under whose tenure Dhaka’s relations with New Delhi witnessed a significant downturn.
The voting for the general election was held on Thursday, along with a referendum on the implementation of a complex 84-point reform package, known as the July National Charter.
According to Election Commission Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, the referendum saw a 60.26 per cent voter turnout, with the “yes” vote winning a clear majority. The election was seen as a direct contest between the BNP and its former ally, Jamaat-e-Islami, which led an 11-party alliance.
Jamaat’s key ally, the National Citizen Party, formed by the Students Against Discrimination, which led the mass protests against Hasina in August 2024, failed to convert its initial popularity into votes and won just six seats. Islami Andolon Bangladesh won one seat, and independent candidates seven.
BNP was in power earlier between 2001 and 2006 when Jamaat was its crucial partner, with two of its leaders serving as ministers.
PTI