- JI promises to serve as a “peaceful, vigilant and principled opposition.”
- The BNP alliance won 212 seats, followed by JI's 77.
- The European Union declares Friday's elections “credible”
Bangladesh's future Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday dedicated his landslide election victory to those who “sacrificed themselves for democracy,” calling for unity after the first elections since the deadly 2024 uprising.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Rahman, 60, a scion of one of the most powerful political dynasties, is set to lead the South Asian nation of 170 million people after Thursday's landslide election.
“This victory belongs to Bangladesh, it belongs to democracy,” he said in his first speech since the vote. “This victory belongs to people who aspire to democracy and have sacrificed for it.”
It will replace an interim government that has ruled Bangladesh since the student-led uprising ended Sheikh Hasina's heavy-handed rule in August 2024.
BNP chief Rahman's success marks a remarkable turnaround for a man who only returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years of exile in Britain, far from the political storms of Dhaka.
The BNP alliance won 212 seats, compared to 77 for the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance, according to the Election Commission.
'Stay united'
Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman, 67, had initially alleged “inconsistencies and fabrications” in the vote, but admitted earlier on Saturday.
He said it would “serve as a peaceful, vigilant and principled opposition.”
He noted that his Islamist party, which had been crushed under Hasina's rule, had quadrupled its seats in parliament from its previous best, calling it “a foundation” for the future.
Hasina's Awami League party was banned from participating. Hasina, 78, sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity, issued a statement from her hideout in India denouncing “illegal and unconstitutional elections.”
BNP chief Rahman called on everyone to work together after a tumultuous political period.
“Our paths and opinions may differ, but in the interest of the country we must remain united,” Rahman said.
'Freedom lover'
His father, President Ziaur Rahman, was assassinated in 1981, while his mother, Khaleda Zia, served three terms as prime minister and dominated national politics for decades.
“The freedom-loving and pro-democracy people of the country have once again brought victory to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party,” he added, in an opening speech in English, before switching to Bengali.
The outgoing interim leader, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, said earlier on Saturday that Rahman would “help guide the country toward stability, inclusion and development.”
The US embassy congratulated Rahman and the BNP on a “historic victory”, while neighboring India praised their “decisive victory”, a notable turnaround after deeply strained relations.
China and Pakistan, which have moved closer to Bangladesh since the 2024 uprising and deteriorating ties with India, where Hasina has taken refuge since her ouster, also congratulated the BNP.
International election observers said the elections had been a success and the European Union said on Saturday they had been “credible.”
The Election Commission said turnout was 59% in 299 constituencies out of 300 where voting took place.
Only seven women were elected, although another 50 seats in parliament reserved for women will be named from party lists.
On Thursday, voters also backed proposals in a referendum for a sweeping democratic reform charter backed by Yunus, to overhaul what he called a “completely broken” system of government and prevent a return to single-party rule.
These include term limits on prime ministers, a new upper house of parliament, stronger presidential powers and greater judicial independence.
But Rahman said the new government he will lead faces enormous challenges.
“We are about to begin our journey in a situation marked by a fragile economy left behind by an authoritarian regime, which weakens constitutional and structural institutions and destroys law and order,” he said.
