Bangladesh election

February 13, 2026 9:09 AM

PM Narendra Modi congratulates Tarique Rahman on BNP’s decisive win in Bangladesh Polls

In a significant gesture, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his warm congratulations to Tarique Rahman following the decisive victory of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in Bangladesh’s parliamentary elections. In his message, Prime Minister Modi said the victory reflects the deep trust and confidence the people of Bangladesh have placed in Rahman’s leadership. He described the outcome as an important moment in Bangladesh’s democratic journey and reaffirmed India’s cont...

February 13, 2026 2:33 PM

BNP sweeps Bangladesh election, Tarique Rahman set to become PM

Bangladesh’s opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won a landslide parliamentary election on Friday, returning to power after nearly two decades and positioning party leader Tarique Rahman to become prime minister as the country emerges from months of unrest and economic disruption. Rahman, the son of former premier Khaleda Zia and assassinated former President Ziaur Rahman, faces immediate challenges in restoring political stability, reviving investor confidence and rebuilding k...

February 11, 2026 3:29 PM

Bangladesh election offers hope to garment sector battered by tariffs and unrest

Millions of Bangladeshi garment workers and their bosses will vote on Thursday for a new government hoping it can save the country's biggest industry, which has suffered six straight months of falling exports due to U.S. tariffs and domestic political and labour unrest. The garment sector is Bangladesh's economic lifeblood, driving 80% of exports and more than 10% of the economy, and supplies some of the world's global brands. In a country of 175 million, nearly four million workers, mostly wo...

February 11, 2026 3:27 PM

Why is Bangladesh holding a national referendum alongside its general election?

Bangladesh will hold a national referendum on Thursday together with its first parliamentary election since violent protests ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. The referendum will give people a chance to vote on reforms to state institutions. Here is a look at why the referendum is being held, and what it entails. WHY IS A REFERENDUM NEEDED? The referendum focuses on implementing the 'July Charter' drafted after the 2024 uprising to establish good governance, democracy...

February 11, 2026 12:27 PM

Bangladesh’s Tarique Rahman: From exile to edge of power

Less than two months after returning from nearly two decades of self‑imposed exile in London, Tarique Rahman could win one of Bangladesh's most pivotal elections and become prime minister, leading the country as his parents once did. If opinion polls hold, Thursday's election would mark a remarkable reversal of fortune for the soft‑spoken 60-year-old, who left the country in 2008 saying he needed medical treatment after his release from detention under a military‑backed caretaker administ...

February 11, 2026 12:21 PM

Islamist leader rises from obscurity to challenge for Bangladesh’s top job

Shafiqur Rahman has long been on the margins of Bangladeshi politics, but his bearded face now appears on posters and billboards across Dhaka, urging voters to elect the country’s first Islamist‑led government in a general election on Thursday. The 67‑year‑old doctor and Jamaat‑e‑Islami party chief has risen from near obscurity to be a serious contender for prime minister, after decades of being mostly known only in Islamist circles. A Jamaat coalition is expected to put up a close...

January 21, 2026 3:16 PM

How an Islamist party is gaining ground in Bangladesh, worrying moderates

Long vilified for opposing independence and barred from electoral politics for over a decade, Bangladesh's biggest Islamist party is reinventing itself and attracting new support ahead of parliamentary polls next month, unsettling moderates and minority communities. Jamaat-e-Islami began its overhaul soon after a youth-led uprising in the Muslim-majority nation of 175 million people toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. With Hasina’s Awami League banned, Jamaat is betting on it...

December 16, 2024 12:55 PM

Bangladesh elections likely between late 2025 or early 2026: Dr Yunus

The head of Interim Government of Bangladesh Dr Muhammad Yunus today said the next general election can be held in between the end of 2025 and the first half of 2026 after accomplishing necessary reforms. “Broadly speaking, the election date can be set between the end of 2025 and the first half of 2026,” he said while addressing the nation this morning, marking the Victory Day. Bangladesh Television and BTV World broadcast the address of Dr Yunus. Yunus emphasised that the timeline for the...