Bangladesh Nationalist Party claims victory in country's first election since 2024 uprising

DHAKA, Bangladesh — The Bangladesh Nationalist Party has claimed victory in the South Asian country’s first election since the 2024 uprising, positioning itself to form the next government and potentially reshape Bangladesh’s political landscape after years of intense rivalry and disputed polls.

The party’s media unit said Friday in a post on X that it had secured enough seats in Parliament to govern on its own. Final results have not yet been announced by the Election Commission, though several local media outlets reported the party’s win.

BNP is headed by Tarique Rahman, its prime ministerial candidate. Rahman, 60, returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in self-exile in London. He is the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who died in December.

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Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, senior joint secretary-general of the BNP, extended congratulations to the people of Bangladesh on the party’s electoral victory in a statement. Separately, Saleh Shibly, press secretary to Rahman, said the BNP leader called on his supporters to hold special prayers alongside the weekly Friday service and not to hold any celebratory processions.

The U.S. Embassy in Dhaka congratulated Rahman and his party on the win, calling it a “historic victory.”

“The United States looks forward to working with you to achieve shared goals of prosperity and security for both our countries,” U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen wrote on X.

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The vote was held Thursday amid tight security and concerns of democratic backsliding, rising political violence and the fraying of the rule of law. It was also the first election since a bloody student-led revolt in July 2024 led to the ouster of previous Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, sending her to exile in India.

Many viewed this election as a crucial test of Bangladesh’s ability to restore trust in democracy and to transform public protests into tangible political reform.

For much of the past 15 years, the BNP languished in opposition, boycotting several elections and accusing Hasina’s government of systematic vote rigging and political repression. Rahman himself spent 17 years in self-imposed exile after Hasina’s Awami League government pursued multiple corruption and criminal cases against him. He has denied the charges, saying they were politically motivated.

Those cases were dropped after Hasina’s government collapsed, paving the way for his return to Bangladesh. His campaign has cast him as a defender of democracy in a country whose politics have long been shaped by entrenched parties, military interventions and allegations of electoral manipulation.