Bangladesh Kicks Off Campaigns Ahead of First Election After Hasina Era

Bangladesh, Jan 22 :  Officially began campaigning on Thursday for its highly anticipated general elections next month, the first since the 2024 uprising ended Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic rule. Voters in the South Asian nation of 170 million will elect 350 lawmakers on February 12, ushering in a new political chapter after years of turmoil and reshaping regional power dynamics.

The elections come amid concerns over security, including the recent killing of a student leader linked to anti-Hasina protests, and warnings about a potential “flood” of online disinformation targeting voters. European Union election observers have described the vote as the “biggest democratic process of 2026.”

Mass rallies are expected nationwide as the main contenders formally launch their campaigns. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami began their campaigns in Sylhet and Dhaka, respectively.

BNP chief and prime ministerial candidate Tarique Rahman, 60, returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in exile and assumed leadership following the death of his mother, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. He began his campaign in Sylhet, a city with a large Sufi following and home to the centuries-old shrine of Shah Jalal, where thousands of supporters lined the streets to cheer his election bus.

Jamaat-e-Islami, aligned ideologically with the Muslim Brotherhood, launched its campaign in the capital Dhaka under the leadership of Shafiqur Rahman. The party, which had faced years of bans and crackdowns, is seeking a return to formal politics. Its ally, the National Citizen Party (NCP), formed by student leaders of the 2024 uprising, will also hold a rally in Dhaka.

Heading the caretaker government, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, 85, who returned from exile in 2024 to oversee the transitional administration, will step down after the elections. Yunus has championed a reform charter aimed at preventing a return to authoritarian rule, with a referendum on the reforms scheduled for the same day as polling. “If you cast the ‘yes’ vote, the door to building the new Bangladesh will open,” Yunus said, urging voter participation while warning of widespread misinformation campaigns.

Relations with neighboring India remain tense following Hasina’s flight to New Delhi during the uprising. The former Prime Minister, 78, who was sentenced to death in absentia in November for crimes against humanity related to the crackdown on protesters, remains in hiding.