Bangladesh election campaign kicks off ahead of Feb polls

DHAKA: Bangladesh on Thursday officially began campaigning for next month’s highly anticipated general election, the first since a popular uprising in 2024 ended the long rule of Sheikh Hasina and plunged the country into a period of political transition.

Tens of thousands of flag-waving supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party frontrunner Tarique Rahman poured onto the streets of the northern city of Sylhet, chanting his name as he addressed his first major rally since returning from 17 years in exile.

“We have liberated the country from autocratic rule,” Rahman told cheering crowds. “Now we must establish the rights of the people.” He pledged to create jobs for millions of unemployed youth and promote women’s economic independence if elected.

Rahman, 60, commonly known as Tarique Zia, assumed leadership of the BNP after the death of his mother and former prime minister Khaleda Zia in December. In line with tradition, he launched his campaign from Sylhet, home to the historic shrine of Shah Jalal.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest religious party in the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million, began its campaign in the capital Dhaka. The party had been heavily suppressed during Hasina’s 15 years in power.

Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman promised to curb corruption and build a society where “people from all races, religions and communities will be treated equally.” Among the supporters was 36-year-old Kakoli Akter, who said it was the first political rally she had ever attended and that this would be the first time she would vote freely.

The country will go to the polls on February 12 to elect 350 lawmakers, elections seen as critical for reshaping Bangladesh’s domestic politics and regional ties after months of unrest. The campaign begins amid security concerns, including the recent killing of a student leader from the anti-Hasina protests, and warnings of widespread online disinformation.

The National Citizen Party, formed by student leaders who spearheaded the uprising and now allied with Jamaat, also launched its campaign. Party chief Nahid Islam urged voters to “carry forward the progress of reform.”

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Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, who returned from exile in August 2024 to head a caretaker government as chief adviser, is set to step down after the polls. Yunus has described the political system he inherited as “completely broken” and is backing a reform charter aimed at preventing a return to authoritarian rule. A referendum on the reforms will be held alongside the election.

Relations with India remain strained after Hasina fled to New Delhi during the uprising. The former prime minister, sentenced to death in absentia in November for crimes against humanity linked to the crackdown on protesters, is believed to be in hiding in India.