Dhaka: Bangladesh's interim government head Muhammad Yunus said his administration would quickly transfer power to the elected government as the country began voting in the February 12 general elections, calling it a historic, decisive, and future-defining moment. Bangladesh held elections—the first since the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in massive countrywide protests in August 2024.
"Some days come in the life of every nation that have far-reaching significance, when the future direction of a state, the character and stability of democracy and the fate of future generations are determined," Yunus said in an address to the nation.
We will all together elect a new government and at the same time determine the future structure of our beloved Bangladesh through a referendum," the Chief Adviser said.
Yunus said the elected government will quickly assume the responsibility, dismissing rumors that the interim government would not hand over power as "baseless propaganda" aimed at obstructing democratic transition.
"We will hand over the responsibility to the newly elected government with deep pleasure and pride... and return to our own jobs. We ardently await that auspicious moment," Yunus said.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Tarique Rahman has emerged as the forerunner in the upcoming elections, with its longtime ally, Jamaat-e-Islami, being its main rival in the absence of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's now disbanded Awami League, debarred from the fray.
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MAJOR PARTIES With the former ruling Awami League banned, the election is now a “bipolar contest”:
• Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Tarique Rahman, who recently returned from 17 years in exile, is contesting nearly all 300 seats. They have campaigned on a platform of “governance experience” and restoring the rule of law. • The 11-Party Alliance: Led by Shafiqur Rahman of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, this coalition includes the National Citizen Party (NCP)—a party formed by the student leaders of the 2024 revolution. This alliance is the BNP’s toughest challenger, branding itself as a “clean” and “ethical” alternative to dynastic politics. OPINION POLLS • A survey by Eminence Associates for Social Development (EASD) has forecast a decisive win for the BNP-led alliance, projecting it could secure around 208 of the 300 directly elected parliamentary seats. • The International Institute of Law and Diplomacy (IILD) survey estimated the BNP-led alliance’s vote share at 44.1 per cent, narrowly ahead of the 11-party Jamaat-led coalition at 43.9 per cent. |
