Bangladesh ends its authoritarian chapter as BNP wins parliamentary majority
Tarique Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and winner of the country's parliamentary elections, leaves his residence in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on February 13, 2026. MUNIR UZ ZAMAN / AFP The victory won by Tarique Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was overwhelming. The party won 212 of the 300 seats up for election, guaranteeing it an absolute majority, in parliamentary elections that finished on Thursday, February 12, according to the electoral commission. Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh's largest Islamist party, made significant gains in a country where 90% of the population is Muslim, securing 77 seats – its best-ever result. The party leader asked its officials and activists not to hold street celebrations, but instead to offer prayers in mosques on Friday. Rahman, 60, is set to become prime minister after spending 17 years in exile in the United Kingdom. He is the heir to a dynasty that has dominated the country's political scene. His father, BNP founder General Ziaur Rahman, served as the country's president from 1977 to 1981, before being assassinated during a coup attempt. His mother, Khaleda Zia, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's main rival, was the first woman to become prime minister of Bangladesh in 1991. She was the face of the BNP until her death in December 2025. You have 80.75% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
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