Bangladesh Election: BNP Secures Landslide Victory in First Vote Since Hasina’s Ouster

Voting was largely peaceful in an election widely seen as a critical test for Bangladesh’s democracy, marking the country’s first genuinely competitive poll in nearly two decades.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by its chairman Tarique Rahman, has secured a sweeping victory in the country’s first general election since a student-led uprising toppled the autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.

Final results from the election commission confirmed that the BNP-led alliance had won a commanding 212 seats in the 300-seat parliament, returning the party to power after 20 years. The primary opposition alliance, led by the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, won 77 seats. The elections were largely seen as a referendum on the future of the country after 15 years of Hasina’s increasingly authoritarian rule.

“This victory was expected,” said Salahuddin Ahmed, a senior BNP joint secretary general. “It is not surprising that the people of Bangladesh have placed their trust in a party capable of realising the dreams that our youth envisioned during the July uprising.” However, Ahmed acknowledged the immense task ahead for the new government, which has pledged to usher in a new era of democracy and enforce a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption. “This is not a time for celebration, as we will face mounting challenges in building a country free from discrimination and tyranny,” he added.

A New Political Landscape and International Reaction

India was among the first countries to congratulate the BNP. Relations between the two neighbours plummeted following Hasina’s fall, given her historically close ties to New Delhi. The message from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, congratulating the BNP on its “decisive” win, was widely interpreted as an attempt to reset ties and extend an olive branch to the new administration. “India will continue to stand in support of a democratic, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh,” Modi stated, adding that he looked forward to working with Rahman. The United States and Pakistan also extended their congratulations.

Tarique Rahman, who returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years of self-imposed exile in London, is now poised to become the country’s next prime minister. He comes from one of Bangladesh’s most formidable political dynasties; he is the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and the late president Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s Strong Showing and Concession

Shafiqur Rahman, the head of Jamaat-e-Islami, formally conceded defeat but signaled a new approach to parliamentary politics. Rahman stated his party would not engage in “the politics of opposition” for its own sake. “We will do positive politics, focused on the welfare of the people,” he told reporters.

Despite the concession, Jamaat-e-Islami released a statement on Friday morning alleging “some irregularities in vote counting” in constituencies where their candidates suffered narrow losses. The party claimed this “raises serious questions about the integrity of the results process” in those specific areas.

The Jamaat campaign was not without controversy, particularly regarding regressive comments made by Shafiqur Rahman on women’s rights and employment, which sparked concern among female voters. Nonetheless, the party’s 68 seats represent a historic achievement for an organization that had previously never won more than 12% of the vote. Together with its allies, it is poised to form a substantial and potentially formidable opposition bloc to the BNP.

 

A Vote for Change After Years of Repression

This election was a stark contrast to the previous three polls under Sheikh Hasina, which were marred by widespread allegations of vote-rigging and boycotted by the BNP. As documented by human rights groups and the United Nations, Hasina’s regime routinely suppressed dissent, with thousands of political opponents and critics allegedly disappeared, tortured, and killed in secret detention. Many of the disappeared emerged only after Hasina was toppled.

Following the bloody uprising in July-August 2024 that led to her downfall and claimed an estimated 1,400 lives, according to the UN, this election was viewed as a crucial test of Bangladesh’s ability to restore public trust in democratic institutions. Hasina’s Awami League party was barred from contesting the election by the interim government, and its supporters had vowed to boycott the vote.

“More than anything, I’m hoping this BNP government remembers why people risked their lives to vote – we wanted an end to fear, not just a change of faces,” said Sadia Chowdhury, 25, a masters student at Jahangirnagar University. “If they can give us jobs based on merit, rein in political violence, and prove that the law applies to everyone, then maybe we’ll finally feel this country belongs to us again.”

The largely peaceful nature of polling day was hailed as a significant achievement. Across the capital, Dhaka, police officers on horseback wore blankets bearing the reassuring message: “Police are here, vote without fear.” At polling stations, voters expressed jubilation at being able to cast their ballots freely for the first time in years.

“Last time I voted was in 2008,” said Mohammad Shah Hossain, 46, who supported the BNP. “After that it got very difficult to come out. Every time I went to the polling station, somebody had already cast my ballot.”

According to the election commission, preliminary figures showed nationwide voter turnout at 59.4%, a significant increase from the 42% seen in the last contested elections. For the first time, the overseas diaspora was also given the opportunity to vote via postal ballot, a system also used by officials on duty away from their home constituencies. The postal vote participation rate was an impressive 80.11%.

The Yunus Factor and the Road Ahead

For the past 18 months, the country has been governed by an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who was tasked with stabilizing the nation and preparing for free and fair elections. Speaking after casting his vote in Dhaka, Yunus captured the national mood, stating the country had “ended the nightmare and begun a new dream.”

Alongside the parliamentary election, a referendum was held on a set of constitutional reforms championed by Yunus, known as the July Charter. Drafted in the wake of the uprising, the charter is designed to prevent future autocratic rule by strengthening judicial independence, enshrining fundamental rights, and introducing a two-term limit for the prime minister. Early results suggested it had passed decisively, with more than 65% voting in favor.

The newly elected government faces the monumental task of restoring democratic norms, rebuilding institutions, ensuring law and order, and revitalizing an economy battered by years of mismanagement. To some observers, however, the return of the BNP – a dynastic party whose previous tenure in the early 2000s was marred by allegations of rampant corruption – presents a paradox. It raises questions about whether the new government truly represents the spirit of reform and hunger for systemic change that drove the student-led uprising against Hasina.

As the election unfolded, Hasina remained in exile in India. The interim government’s war crimes tribunal recently sentenced her to death for crimes against humanity committed during the final throes of her regime. Her escape, and India’s refusal to extradite her, continues to be a major irritant in Dhaka-New Delhi relations. In a statement released after polls closed, Hasina denounced the election as a “carefully planned farce” and called for the results to be annulled, a statement that is unlikely to resonate with a nation that voted in large numbers for a new beginning.

 

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