Bangladesh Election: BNP Wins Historic First Vote Since Toppling Hasina | Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Nationalist party, led by Tariq Rahmanwon a landslide victory in the country’s first election since a gen Z uprising the autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina.

The election commission results confirmed that the BNP alliance won 212 seats, returning the party to power after 20 years, while the rival alliance, led by the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, won 77 seats.

The vote was seen as the first free and fair election held in Bangladesh for nearly two decades and came after a period of significant political upheaval in the country.

“Today is a joyous day for us, but above all it is a victory for democracy,” said Nazrul Islam Khan, a member of the BNP’s standing committee.

“People stood in long queues not only to elect a government, but to reclaim their vote. This result is a mandate to end fear, fight corruption and move beyond the climate of intimidation people have lived with for years.”

Khan acknowledged that a tough task lay ahead for the new BNP government, which promised a new era of democracy and zero tolerance for corruption. “We know the hard work starts now: rebuilding institutions, creating opportunities for young people and proving, every day, that this government is accountable to its citizens,” he said.

India was among the first countries to congratulate the GDP. Relations between the two neighbors have soured since the fall of Hasina and the message from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulating the BJP on its “decisive” victory was seen as extending an olive branch to the new government.

“India will continue to support a democracy, progressive and inclusive BangladeshModi said, adding that he was looking forward to working with Rahman.

The US and Pakistan also congratulated the BNP on the election victory.

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

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman conceded defeat. He said Jamaat would not engage in the “politics of opposition” for the sake of it. “We will do positive politics,” he told reporters.

In a statement on Friday morning, Jamaat-e-Islami alleged some irregularities in the counting of votes in constituencies where their candidates suffered small losses, which it said raised serious questions about the integrity of the result process.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s campaign has attracted controversy, especially among women voters, about regressive comments made by Shafiqur Rahman on women’s rights and employment. Nevertheless, Jamaat-e-Islami’s 68 seats represent a historic showing for a party that had never previously won more than 12% of the vote. Along with seats won by allied parties, it is likely to be a formidable opposition to the BNP.

The election was the first truly competitive vote in the country in years. As documented by human rights groups and the UN, Hasina’s regime dissent is regularly suppressed of his critics and political opponents, thousands of whom disappeared, were tortured and killed in secret prisons. Many came forward only after Hasina was ousted. The last three elections under Hasina have been marred by widespread allegations of vote rigging.

After the bloody uprising that led to his downfall, many saw the election as a crucial test of Bangladesh’s ability to restore faith in democracy and transition from public protest to tangible political reform and stability. Hasina’s Awami League party was banned from competing and his supporters said they would boycott the vote.

“More than anything, I hope 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 master’s student at Jahangirnagar University. “If they can give us jobs based on merit, reign in political violence and prove that the law applies to everyone, then maybe we’ll finally feel like this country belongs to us again.”

The largely peaceful nature of polling day was seen as a major step forward for the country. Across the capital, police officers stood guard over horses carrying blankets bearing the message: “The police are here, vote without fear.” Voters at polling stations in the capital, Dhaka, expressed their resignation as they were able to cast their votes freely and without fear for the first time in years.

“The last time I voted was in 2008,” said Mohammad Shah Hossain, 46, who said he supported the BNP. “After that it became very difficult to get out and vote. Every time I went to the polling station, someone had already brought out my ballot.”

According to the electoral commission, preliminary figures showed nationwide voter turnout at 59.4%, exceeding the 42% seen in the last elections. It was also the first election that gave the overseas diaspora the opportunity to vote. Postal votes, which also included officials in the country who could not return home to cast their vote, had an 80.11% participation rate.

The student-led uprising that toppled Hasina’s 15-year regime in August 2024 was spurred by growing anger over widespread corruption, human rights abuses and an economic slump. The uprising, and Hasina’s brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters, left an estimated 1,400 people dead, according to the UN.

For the past 18 months, the country has been run by an interim government under Bangladesh’s only Nobel laureate, Muhammad Yunus, tasked with preparing the country for free and fair elections. Speaking after his vote in Dhaka, Yunus said the country had “ended the nightmare and begun a new dream.”

The newly elected government faces an uphill task to restore democracy, law and order and economic growth. For some, the return of the BNP – a dynastic party whose previous regime was riddled with corruption – did not represent the spirit of reform and hunger for change that drove the student-led uprising against Hasina.

Shafqat Munir, a fellow at the Bangladesh Institute for Peace and Security Studies, said the election result offered a “new beginning for Bangladesh.” “One of the fundamental tasks before the new government will be to repair and restore the economy while simultaneously ensuring stability and law and order,” Munir said.

“There are many unfulfilled aspirations of the 2024 monsoon revolution that need to be implemented. This is a huge opportunity for Bangladesh. This is also a country that requires a significant amount of healing. So reconciliation will also be a very important part of the agenda.”

Alongside the election, a referendum was held on a set of constitutional reforms championed by Yunus, known as the July Charter, designed to prevent any autocratic regimes from taking power in the future by strengthening judicial independence and introducing a two-term limit for the prime minister. Early results suggested it passed with more 68% voting yes.

As the election unfolded, Hasina remained in exile in India following a war crimes tribunal sentenced her to death for crimes against humanity committed during the final of her regime. Her escape, and India’s refusal to return her, has been a key issue in the frayed ties between Dhaka and New Delhi. In a statement sent after polling stations closed, Hasina condemned the election as a “carefully planned hoax” and called for the results to be cancelled.

Redwan Ahmed reported from Dhaka