Bangladesh elections: First national vote without Awami League in decades

Bangladesh is set to hold general elections on February 12 in what is being described as the country’s most consequential vote in decades. The polls will take place without the Awami League of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, marking the first national election in which the party will not participate.

The Awami League was barred from political activity following the student-led uprising in 2024 that brought an end to Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule. Since August 2024, Bangladesh has been governed by a caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

Sheikh Hasina was later sentenced to death by a special tribunal over the violent crackdown on protesters and remains in exile in India. Dhaka has formally sought her extradition.

Around 127 million registered voters are eligible to cast their ballots to elect 350 members of the Jatiya Sangsad, Bangladesh’s unicameral parliament. The main contest is between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which is leading a multi-party coalition, and Jamaat-e-Islami, which heads an alliance that includes the student-backed National Citizen Party.

The National Citizen Party emerged from the 2024 protest movement that led to the fall of the previous government.

This election is unique as it will be held alongside a nationwide referendum. Voters will also decide on the July National Charter, a broad reform package aimed at reshaping Bangladesh’s political system. Interim leader Muhammad Yunus has said the combined vote will determine the country’s direction for the next hundred years, with restoring democracy emerging as a central theme of the campaign.

Journalist Omar Tasiq said the process marks a major departure from previous elections.

According to journalist Omar Tasiq, "The process is totally different this time because, you know, there are two elections – I mean, votes on two things together. One is the referendum, another one is the election voting. So referendum is totally, this referendum is, you know, is totally new to us. And the thing is, you know, one yes or no with so many questions. I mean, supposedly 39 questions in yes, one yes, another 33 questions in one no. So it is quite critical for people to give verdict on it. It is one part. Another part is, you know, they're telling that this time their foreign votes are there, I mean, the envelop ballots are there. So it would also take some time to count, they're telling, the election commission is telling. So this is totally different than the other elections. And they are telling that the counting for the envelop votes and the referendum thing and other votes, so it might take another day more. So it is totally a new thing for us in Bangladesh."

Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has rejected the polls, calling them exclusionary and illegitimate.

The elections are also being closely watched for their implications on Bangladesh’s relations with India. Ties remain strained, with New Delhi expressing concerns over the safety and treatment of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh, while Dhaka continues to press for Hasina’s extradition.

Former Indian foreign secretary Sanjay Bhattacharya said the political realignment in Bangladesh warrants close scrutiny.

Sanjay Bhattacharya, Former Secretary, MEA says "The BNP, which was also part of the movement, but is very closely aligned with Pakistan and has also got very close ties with China. And the third was the Islamist force, which was the Jamaat and others. Now, the Jamaat in particular had never had very large support base politically. But what we do find is that they have infiltrated institutions in Bangladesh at this particular point in the last two years or so after, you know, the protest took place and in which they had taken over various institutions of democratic institutions and subverted them towards their objectives. And therefore, their intent towards India will have to be viewed very carefully"

As Bangladesh heads to the polls, the outcome is expected to test the country’s democratic transition and shape its political and regional trajectory in South Asia.