Bangladesh Launches High-Stakes Election Campaign After Uprising That Toppled Longtime Prime Minister

BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA

Campaigning began Thursday for Bangladesh’s first national election since the mass uprising of 2024 that ended the rule of longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, opening what many see as a defining chapter in the country’s political history.

Major political parties and alliances held rallies in the capital, Dhaka, and across the country ahead of the Feb. 12 vote, an election widely regarded as the most consequential since independence. The polls will be held under an interim government and will not only determine the next leadership but also ask voters to weigh in on proposed political reforms aimed at reshaping the structure of power in the state.

The caretaker administration, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, has pledged to deliver a free, fair and credible election after years of allegations of vote rigging and authoritarian rule under Hasina. Yunus assumed office just three days after Hasina fled to India on Aug. 5, 2024, following weeks of unrest and a violent crackdown in which hundreds of protesters and bystanders were killed.

Despite assurances from the interim government, the election has already stirred controversy. Yunus’ administration banned Hasina’s Awami League from participating, a decision that has drawn criticism both domestically and abroad. The Awami League, along with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has historically dominated the country’s politics, and its exclusion has fundamentally altered the electoral landscape.

Concerns have also been raised about law and order as campaigning gets underway, particularly given lingering political tensions and sporadic violence since the uprising. Government officials have said security forces are prepared to ensure a peaceful campaign period and orderly voting.

With the Awami League sidelined, a 10-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamist party, is seeking to expand its national influence. The alliance also includes the newly formed National Citizen Party, created by student leaders who played a prominent role in last year’s uprising. Jamaat-e-Islami has long faced criticism from secular activists and political rivals, who argue its ideology challenges Bangladesh’s constitutional commitment to secularism.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is positioning itself as a central force in the race, with its chairman, Tarique Rahman, widely viewed as a leading contender for the premiership. Rahman is the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Hasina’s longtime rival, whose political legacy continues to shape the party’s support base. Zia died last month, a development that has further galvanized BNP loyalists.

Rahman returned to Bangladesh last month after 17 years in exile in the United Kingdom, marking a dramatic reentry into domestic politics. He launched his campaign Thursday in the northeastern city of Sylhet, addressing thousands of supporters at a rally where he sought to project himself as a unifying national figure.

In his speech, Rahman accused Jamaat-e-Islami of exploiting religious sentiment for political gain and pledged to focus on sovereignty, economic independence, and opportunities for women and young people if elected.

“Now we must establish the right to vote, rebuild the nation, and make it economically self-reliant,” Rahman told the crowd, as supporters waved party flags and chanted slogans in his favor. He is scheduled to visit several districts in the coming days as the BNP ramps up its nationwide campaign.

Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party began their campaigns in Dhaka, emphasizing themes of justice, public safety, and an end to corruption. Nasiruddin Patwari, a leader of the National Citizen Party, said their movement was aimed at dismantling what he described as entrenched systems of crime and abuse of power.

“There is terrorism, extortion, corruption and forcible possession,” Patwari said. “Our fight is against these evils to establish a just Bangladesh and to build a safe Dhaka for women and children.”

In addition to choosing a new government, voters will be asked to participate in a referendum on a proposed national charter that the interim government says would set Bangladesh on a new political course. The document, often referred to as the July National Charter after the month the uprising began, was signed last year by 25 of the country’s 52 registered political parties. The Awami League opposed the charter, while several other parties declined to endorse it.

Supporters of the charter argue that a referendum is necessary to give it legal force and eventually incorporate it into the constitution, which can only be amended by Parliament. The charter is currently nonbinding.

According to the interim government, the proposed reforms are designed to prevent the return of authoritarian rule by strengthening checks and balances within the political system. Among its key provisions are increased powers for the presidency to counterbalance what had become an exceptionally strong prime minister’s office, term limits for lawmakers, and tougher measures to curb corruption, money laundering and conflicts of interest.

Rahman’s return to the political stage has energized BNP supporters, many of whom see the election as an opportunity to restore democratic norms after years of repression.

“Under his leadership, we want to see a self-reliant Bangladesh, organized through a truly democratic process,” said Ali Akbar Rajan, a BNP supporter attending the Sylhet rally. “We hope he will emerge as a successful statesman and lead the country forward.”

As campaigning intensifies, Bangladesh faces a pivotal moment, with voters preparing to choose not only a new government but also the future direction of the nation’s political system after one of the most turbulent periods in its history.