Bangladesh Election 2026: Voting Begins in Historic Polls as BNP Challenges Jamaat

Bangladesh held its first national election on Feb 12, 2026, its first since the 2024 uprising that ousted Sheikh Hasina. With her party banned, BNP leads, facing a challenge from an Islamist coalition.

Bangladesh begun its first national election on February 12, 2026, since the 2024 mass uprising that forced long time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina into exile and ended her 15 year rule. The vote is widely seen not just as a routine parliamentary contest but as a symbolic test of democratic restoration after years of political repression and turmoil.

More than 127 million eligible voters were registered to cast ballots across 299 constituencies for the 13th National Parliament, marking one of the biggest democratic exercises in the country’s history. The election is being held alongside a constitutional referendum on proposed political reforms aimed at strengthening judicial independence and introducing new checks on executive powers.

The election landscape is dramatically transformed. The Awami League, Hasina’s party that had dominated Bangladeshi politics for decades, is banned from contesting following the interim government’s actions after her ouster. In its absence, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Tarique Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has emerged as the clear front runner. Rahman, returning after 17 years in exile, has framed his campaign around promises to tackle corruption and bring governance reforms, though concerns linger about Bangladesh’s secular fabric and rights protections.

Challenging the BNP is a large coalition led by the Islamist Bangladesh Jamaat e Islami, which has made significant gains in the post Hasina political vacuum. The contest between these two blocs has underscored deep political and ideological divisions, with both sides campaigning aggressively.

Security was a major priority on polling day, with hundreds of thousands of personnel deployed and technological tools like drones, CCTV, and body worn cameras used to safeguard the process.

Youth voters — many of whom have never voted — make up a significant share of the electorate and are seen as a pivotal force in shaping the outcome.

International observers from the EU, Commonwealth and others monitored the polls, while geopolitical stakes are high, as the results are expected to influence Bangladesh’s foreign policy direction and bilateral ties, particularly with India and China.

As votes are tallied and results unfold, this election is widely viewed as a turning point — one that will determine whether Bangladesh can consolidate democratic norms after years of upheaval.