Campaigning starts in Bangladesh’s first national elections since PM ousted

Campaigning has begun ahead of Bangladesh’s first national elections since the 2024 uprising that saw long-time prime minister Sheikh Hasina ousted.

The major political parties held campaign rallies in the capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere ahead of the February 12 election, which is seen as the most consequential in Bangladesh’s history as it follows Hasina’s removal and is being held under an interim government with voters also deciding on proposed political reforms.

The interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has pledged to hold a free and fair election, but questions were raised after his administration banned Hasina’s former ruling Awami League party.

The Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have historically dominated the country’s electorate.

There are also concerns about the country’s law and order situation, but the government says they will keep the voting peaceful.

Mr Yunus assumed office three days after Hasina left the country for India on August 5 2024 following the deaths of hundreds of protesters and others in a violent crackdown.

With the Awami League excluded from the election, a 10-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamist party, is seeking to expand its influence.

Jamaat-e-Islami has long faced criticism from secular groups who say its positions challenge Bangladesh’s secular foundations.

A new party formed by student leaders of the uprising, the National Citizen Party, or NCP, is also part of the alliance.

Tarique Rahman, BNP chairman and son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, is widely seen as a leading contender for prime minister.

His party has drawn strong support rooted in the political legacy of his mother, who died last month.

Mr Rahman returned to Bangladesh last month after 17 years in exile in the UK.

Mr Rahman was launching his campaign in the north-western city of Sylhet with an address to a rally later on Thursday and was scheduled to visit several other districts in the coming days.

Jamaat-e-Islami and the NCP are set to begin their campaigns in the capital, Dhaka.

The election will also include a referendum on a national charter, with the interim government campaigning for voters to support what it describes as a new political course built on reforms.

The charter was signed last year by 25 of the country’s 52 registered political parties.

The Awami League opposed the idea and several other parties declined to sign the document.

The July National Charter, named after the uprising that began in July 2024 and led to the fall of Hasina, is non-binding, but supporters of the charter say a referendum is needed to make it legally binding and a part of the constitution.

Only parliament can change the constitution in Bangladesh.

The interim government says the charter would bring more checks and balances to avoid authoritarian administrations, including by giving the presidency more authority to balance what had been a powerful prime minister position.

It also proposes term limits for politicians, and measures to prevent conflicts of interest, money laundering and corruption.