Tarique Rahman’s BNP claims majority

Counting begins as polls close in landmark Bangladesh election

By Lyndal Rowlands Published On 12 Feb 2026 Al Jazeera

• Tarique Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) says it has won a majority in Thursday’s landmark election and will form the next government.
• The Jamuna TV broadcaster, citing provisional results, says the BNP and its allies won 211 of the 299 constituency seats, while the rival Jamaat-e-Islami alliance won 70 seats.
• Official results have not yet been delivered by the Bangladesh Election Commission.

Shafiqur Rahman, head of Jamaat-e-Islami, has said his party will respect the results of the election, whatever they may be, and that it will not engage in obstructive “politics of opposition” should it lose.

Parliament comprises 350 lawmakers, 300 of whom are elected directly from single-member constituencies, while an additional 50 seats are reserved for women. Elections were held for 299 seats due to the death of one candidate.

A referendum was also held on political reforms, including prime ministerial term limits, stronger checks on executive power and other safeguards preventing parliamentary power consolidation.

Modi congratulates Rahman on ‘decisive victory’

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conveyed his “warm congratulations” to “Tarique Rahman on leading BNP to a decisive victory in the Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh.”

“This victory shows the trust of the people of Bangladesh in your leadership,” Modi said in a post on social media.

“India will continue to stand in support of a democratic, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh,” Modi added.

“I look forward to working with you to strengthen our multifaceted relations and advance our common development goals,” he said.

What impact did the ban on Awami League have on voter turnout?

^{By Jonah Hull Reporting from Dhaka, Bangladesh}

Nobody was quite sure what support remained for the Awami League as the party was banned by the interim administration here following the 2024 uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina.

The preliminary turnout figures are hovering around the 61 percent mark for yesterday’s vote, and that’s far lower than many elections in the past. In 2008, the last time there was a competitive election year, there was a turnout of 87 percent.

Now, this discrepancy between the two figures could well be on account of the banning of the Awami League. Some counts put their support at around 10 to 20 percent.

And that was always going to be a cloud hovering over the legitimacy of this election, as ordinary Awami League supporters, of course, were simply denied a vote.

But I must say, all of this happened on an otherwise very enthusiastic, as far as we could see, voting day.

What is the July National Charter?

• The document was drafted by the National Consensus Commission last year, drawing on recommendations from six reform commissions focused on the constitution, judiciary, electoral system, police, public administration and anticorruption.
• It contains more than 80 proposals to overhaul Bangladesh’s system of governance.
• Key reforms include “increasing women’s political representation, imposing prime ministerial term limits, enhancing presidential powers, expanding fundamental rights, and protecting judicial independence”, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA).
• Notably, it recommends creating a 100-member upper chamber alongside Bangladesh’s current single parliamentary body, the 350-member Jatiya Sangsad.
• According to IDEA, if the “Yes” vote prevails, the newly elected parliament will have a public mandate to implement the charter’s provisions within 180 working days or 270 full days.

US envoy congratulates BNP on ‘historic victory’

Brent Christensen, the US ambassador to Bangladesh, has congratulated the BNP after it claimed victory in Thursday’s election.

“Congratulations to the people of Bangladesh on a successful election and to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Tarique Rahman on your historic victory,” Christensen wrote in a post on X.

“The United States looks forward to working with you to realize shared goals of prosperity and security for both our countries,” he added.