Out in droves: BNP supporters gathering for a rally ahead of the upcoming national election in Sylhet. — AFP
The country began official campaigning for a hugely anticipated general election next month, the first since the 2024 uprising ended the autocratic rule of Sheikh Hasina.
Tens of thousands of flag-waving supporters of key frontrunner Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) crowded the streets of the northern city of Sylhet, chanting his name.
“Do we have a leader? Yes, we do,” BNP loyalists shouted, carrying placards of the prime ministerial hopeful Tarique, who only returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in exile.
The largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, also began its campaign in the capital Dhaka yesterday.
The South Asian nation of 170 million votes on Feb 12 to elect 350 lawmakers.
The polls are expected to usher in new leadership after prolonged turmoil following the ouster of Hasina’s government, reshaping domestic politics and regional dynamics.
It comes against the backdrop of insecurity – including the murder last month of a student leader of the anti-Hasina protests – as well as warnings of a “flood” of online disinformation.
European Union election observers say the vote will be the “biggest democratic process of 2026”.
Tarique, 60, better known in Bangladesh as Tarique Zia, assumed leadership of the BNP following the death of his mother, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who died in December at the age of 80.
“He will carry forward the legacy of his parents,” said Harun Ur Rashid, a 40-year-old die-hard BNP supporter, referring to Khaleda and her husband, former president Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981.
Ideologically aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood, Jamaat-e-Islami is seeking a return to formal politics after years of bans and crackdowns.
Since Hasina fled to India, key Islamist leaders have been released from prison, and Islamist groups have grown increasingly assertive.
The National Citizen Party, formed by student leaders who spearheaded the uprising, and who have formed an alliance with Jamaat, will also launch their rally in Dhaka.
Muhammad Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who returned from exile in August 2024 at the behest of protesters to lead a caretaker government as “chief adviser”, will step down after the polls.
Engineer Raqibul Hasan Shawon, 26, watched the BNP rally from the sidelines.
“I haven’t decided whom to vote for yet,” he said. “We have heard commitments before, but they were never fulfilled.” — AFP
