Dhaka, Feb 13 — The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Tarique Rahman, has won a two-thirds majority in Bangladesh’s general elections, the country’s first since the 2024 student-led uprising that ended the 15-year rule of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
According to provisional results released on Friday by the Election Commission (EC), the BNP has won 209 of the 297 seats for which results have been announced. The new parliament, the Jatiya Sangsad, has 350 members, including 50 nominated seats.
The Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami, banned under the previous government, registered its strongest-ever performance with 68 seats, emerging as the principal opposition party. The National Citizen Party (NCP), formed out of last year’s protests, secured six seats, with party leader Nahid Islam winning his constituency to become one of the youngest lawmakers in the new House.
The EC said voter turnout stood at 59.88 percent, describing the polls as among the most peaceful and credible in decades.
Hasina’s Awami League was barred from contesting the election, and the former premier fled to India following her ouster. Rahman, the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, is now poised to become Bangladesh’s next prime minister once results are formally confirmed.
The 60-year-old leader returned to Bangladesh weeks before the polls after years in self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom. He had left the country in 2008, alleging politically motivated persecution.
In a post on X, the BNP claimed victory, saying: “The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is set to form the government after winning the majority of seats.”
The party added that it would not hold victory rallies, instead announcing nationwide prayers at mosques at noon.
Alongside parliamentary voting, Bangladesh also held a national referendum on the July National Charter, a reform roadmap drafted by the caretaker government led by Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus after last year’s protests.
Voters cast two ballots — a white ballot for parliament and a pink ballot for the referendum. EC data showed 60.26 percent backing the charter, which proposes constitutional amendments, legal reforms and new laws.
The charter includes more than 80 proposals, such as increasing women’s political representation, imposing term limits on the prime minister, enhancing presidential powers, expanding fundamental rights, and safeguarding judicial independence. It also recommends creating a 100-member upper chamber, alongside the existing unicameral parliament.
The BNP has said it will support implementation of the charter, though differences remain among major parties over the composition of the proposed upper house.
“Major parties appear to agree on almost all the core referendum issues. However, disagreements remain regarding specific details, particularly in regard to the formation of the proposed Upper House,” said political analyst Nazrul.
“The BNP favours forming it in proportion to parliamentary seats, while Jamaat and the NCP prefer proportional representation. Resolving this dispute remains a key challenge.”
Hasina, who remains in India, was convicted last November on war-crimes charges linked to a violent crackdown on protesters that killed an estimated 1,400 people. India’s refusal to extradite her despite a formal request from Bangladesh has strained bilateral ties.