BNP president Tarique Rahman greets his supporters as he leaves his residence in Dhaka. Photo: AFP
DACA:
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Friday celebrated a landslide victory in the first elections held since the deadly 2024 uprising, in which leader Tarique Rahman became prime minister.
Electoral Commission figures said the BNP alliance had won 212 seats, compared with 77 for the Islamist-led Jamaat-e-Islami alliance, which had previously said it had “serious doubts about the integrity of the results process”.
Rahman told AFP two days before the election that he was “confident” his party, crushed under ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15 years of autocratic rule, would regain power in the South Asian nation of 170 million.
Hasina’s Awami League party was banned from participating.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday congratulated the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its leader Tarique Rahman for securing a landslide majority in the national elections and receiving the mandate to form the next government.
The President, in a statement, congratulated the people of Bangladesh for the successful conduct of elections in 299 seats with the participation of over 127 million registered voters.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s support for Bangladesh’s sovereignty and democratic aspirations, the president said Pakistan looked forward to working with the new government to strengthen cooperation in trade, defence, cultural exchanges and regional forums.
President Zardari said that the elections in Bangladesh represented an opportunity for South Asia to overcome past phases in which regional cooperation, including within SAARC, was hostage to India, which continued to paralyze the great forum that was born in Bangladesh in 1985.
He expressed the hope that the new political environment in Dhaka would contribute to a more balanced, independent and mutually respectful engagement across the region.
President Zardari also conveyed his best wishes for the continued stability, progress and prosperity of Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday congratulated Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Tarique Rahman on his election victory.
“I also congratulate the people of Bangladesh on the successful conduct of the elections,” the prime minister wrote in X, adding that he looked forward to working closely with the new leaders.
The US embassy congratulated Rahman and the BNP on a “historic victory”, while neighboring India praised Rahman’s “decisive victory” in a significant step after recent difficult relations with Bangladesh.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). “India will continue to support a democratic, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh.”
In a separate statement, Modi said he spoke to Rahman over the phone to convey his wishes. “As two close neighbors with deep-rooted historical and cultural ties, I reaffirmed India’s continued commitment to the peace, progress and prosperity of our two peoples,” the Indian leader said in a post on X.
The vote was largely peaceful and the country has reportedly been calm since election day.
Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman, 67, had mounted a disciplined grassroots campaign on a platform of justice and an end to corruption.
His party said it was “dissatisfied with the process surrounding the election results”, alleging that it had recorded “repeated inconsistencies and fabrications in unofficial results announcements”, but without providing further details.
The Election Commission said turnout was 59 percent in 299 constituencies out of 300 where voting took place.
Another 50 seats in parliament reserved for women will be named from party lists.
BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi claimed a resounding victory and asked his followers to give thanks in prayer instead of celebrating on the streets.
“There will be no victory rally despite the BNP’s comprehensive victory,” Rizvi said in a statement.
