Bangladesh's nationalist BNP party has declared a landslide victory in the first general election since overthrowing former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, securing 209 seats, exceeding the majority, and preparing to form a government this week.
On 12 Feb 2026 GMT+7, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) announced a sweeping victory in the first general election since the 2024 student uprising that toppled long-time ruler former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Unofficial vote counts show BNP winning 209 seats out of the 151-seat majority threshold in the House of Representatives, giving them the right to immediately form a government. Party leaders expect to establish the government by this Sunday.
The party leader, 60-year-old Tarik Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is set to become the new prime minister after returning to Bangladesh last December following 17 years of exile in the United Kingdom.
The runner-up party, Jamaat-e-Islami, led by Shafiqur Rahman, won 68 seats—the best result in the party’s history since its ban in 2013 was lifted after Sheikh Hasina’s overthrow. However, the party expressed dissatisfaction with the vote counting process and questioned its transparency.
The National Citizen Party (NCP), a youth activist group that played a key role in toppling Hasina and allied with Jamaat-e-Islami, won only 6 seats out of 30 constituencies where it fielded candidates.
The Election Commission has yet to announce official results. Voter turnout was nearly 60% of over 127 million eligible voters, higher than the approximately 42% turnout in the 2024 election. This election featured participation from more than 50 political parties and at least 2,000 candidates. The House of Representatives has 350 seats, with 50 reserved for women.
Source: Aljazeera