election, with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) claiming a two-thirds majority.** According to unofficial results, the BNP alliance won 212 out of 300 seats, while the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh came in second with about 70 seats. The counting of votes is still ongoing and the turnout is said to be about 60 percent.
The British news agency Reuters reported, citing the Bengali channel Jamuna TV, that the BNP has come into a position to form the government with a clear lead. Newspapers published in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka had already predicted the party’s victory, after which speculation has increased that party leader Tariq Rahman could become the country’s next prime minister.
According to the election results, Tariq Rahman won both seats, while Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur-ur-Rehman also managed to win his seat. The coalition student leader Nahid Islam surprised political circles by securing a record vote.
On the other hand, the BNP has so far won 100 seats in the official preliminary results, which are 51 short of the majority required to form a government. However, the final results are not yet out, despite this, the party has claimed victory and congratulations have started pouring in from various countries and diplomatic circles.
BNP chief Tariq Rahman said in his statement that establishing law and order would be his top priority so that citizens feel safe. He also stressed that almost half of the country’s population consists of women, so special attention would be paid to their welfare. He appealed to workers to avoid rallies or celebrations and go to places of worship to offer prayers of thanks.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus said that the people participated fully in exercising their constitutional right. Chief Election Commissioner EMM Nasiruddin also described the elections as transparent and credible, clarifying that the data released by private sources is not final, and only those results that are published in the official gazette will have legal status. He assured that there is no hidden agenda or rigging involved in the electoral process.
Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur-ur-Rehman accepted the results and said that his party will promote positive politics and play the role of a constructive opposition. US Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen congratulated BNP and Tariq Rahman on the historic victory and said that the US is eager to work with the new government for the common goals of prosperity and security of both countries.
According to political observers, stability is expected to come to the country after these elections. Sheikh Hasina’s party ruled Bangladesh, which has a population of about 175 million, for about 15 years, but due to public grievances and growing political pressure, a strong wave of protests was seen in August 2024. Now these election results are being seen as a sign of a major change in the country’s politics.
