Page 2 - Bangladesh Election

After 17 yrs in exile, BNP leader Tarique Rahman returns to Bangladesh

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman returned home to a rousing welcome on Thursday after over 17 years in self-exile, a move that is expected to energise his party workers ahead of the February 12 parliamentary elections. Rahman, the 60-year-old son of ailing former prime minister Khaleda Zia, has emerged as a leading contender for prime ministership in the polls even as the country's Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami has been trying to expand its support base. The homecoming of the BNP heir apparent comes amid a fresh wave of unrest and political instability gripping Bangladesh following the killing of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who was a prominent face in last year's mass protests that forced the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government. Rahman, accompanied by wife Zubaida and daughter Zaima, was received at the Hazrat Shahjalal International airport in Dhaka by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other senior party ...

BNP leader Tarique Rahman set to return to Bangladesh after 17 yrs today

The flight is scheduled to make a stopover in Sylhet before landing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 11:20 am (local time)

UN voices concern over Bangladesh violence, including lynching of Hindu man

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has voiced concern over the violence in Bangladesh, including the lynching of a Hindu man in the country. Yes, we're very concerned about the violence that we've seen in Bangladesh, Stphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said at the daily press briefing on Monday. He was responding to a question on the Secretary-General's response to the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh and especially the lynchings of Hindus in the last few days. "Whether it's in Bangladesh or any other country, people who don't belong to the majority' need to feel safe, and all Bangladeshis need to feel safe. And we're confident that the Government will do what it can to keep every single Bangladeshi safe, Dujarric said. Dipu Chandra Das, a 25-year-old garment factory worker, was lynched to death by a mob and his body set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Baluka in Mymensingh last week. Two more persons were arrested on Sunday in connection with Das's ..

Yunus reiterates commitment to hold Bangladesh general elections on Feb 12

Yunus made the remarks during a telephone conversation with Sergio Gor, the US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, at around 7:30 pm (local time)

After Hadi, unidentified gunmen shoot another Bangladesh student leader

Unidentified gunmen on Monday shot in the head a second leader of Bangladesh's violent student-led 2004 uprising in the country's southwestern Khulna city, days after the killing of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. "The Khulna Division head of NCP (National Citizen Party) and central coordinator of the party's workers front, Muhammad Motaleb Sikdar, was shot a few minutes ago," NCP's joint principal coordinator Mahmuda Mitu said in a Facebook post. Mitu, a doctor, said Sarkar was rushed to Khulna Medical College Hospital in a critical condition. The Kaler Kantha newspaper, quoting hospital sources, said Sarkar was shot on the left side of his head, and he was bleeding profusely when he was brought to the facility, where the doctors started emergency treatment. The attack came days after Hadi, a prominent leader of the student-led protests last year that led to the ouster of the prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, was shot in the head on December 12 by

Bangladesh's ex-PM Khaleda Zia's condition 'more stable' now, says doctor

Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia is now "more stable", with no deterioration in her condition, her personal doctor AZM Zahid Hossain has said. Zia, the 80-year-old chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has been undergoing treatment at Dhaka's Evercare Hospital since November 23 for multiple health complications and was shifted to a coronary care unit (CCU) later. On December 11, she was placed on ventilator support to give rest to her lungs and other vital organs. Her personal physician AZM Zahid Hossain said on Friday that Zia's "condition is much more stable than before," the state-run BSS news agency reported. "Currently, there has been no deterioration in her condition," he said, adding that her physical condition has been "quite stable" over the past month. Hossain said that Zia underwent a minor procedure on Friday as well, which was completed "very successfully", and "she was able to accept it well". Zia's medical board, in a statement on Dec

Bangladesh unrest: Prothom Alo office vandalised over student leader death

Terming the incident an attack on freedom of speech and press freedom, the Executive Editor urged the government to conduct a proper investigation, identify those responsible and bring them to justice

Bangladesh to hold funeral of student leader whose death sparked unrest

Bangladesh is set to hold the funeral of a prominent youth leader on Saturday amid tight security following unrest in the country triggered by his death. The funeral prayer will be held at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building at 2 pm, the press wing of the interim government of Bangladesh has announced. The government imposed a ban on flying drones in and around the Sangsad Bhaban during janaza, Prothomalo news portal reported. Those wishing to attending the funeral have been asked not to carry any bags or heavy objects with them, it added. In a social media post on Friday, Inqilab Mancha said, "Upon the family's wishes, a decision has been taken to bury Hadi beside the grave of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and to hold his funeral prayer after Zuhr tomorrow at Manik Mia Avenue." The party also announced that there will be no public viewing of the body, and people were requested to pray for Hadi while maintaining order. Bangladesh's interim government on Friday u

US Embassy warns of possible violence in Bangladesh ahead of Feb 2026 polls

The warning comes after Bangladesh's Election Commission formally announced the schedule for the country's next national polls last week

Unrest grips Bangladesh as gunmen target polls candidate ahead of election

The Election Commission (EC) has demanded extra security for its chief, other commissioners and officials as fresh unrest visibly gripped Bangladesh after gunmen shot an upcoming parliamentary polls candidate and frontline leader of last year's violent street movement dubbed 'July Uprising'. "The EC has written to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) urging comprehensive security arrangements for the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Election Commissioners (ECs), senior officials of the Election Commission Secretariat," the state-run BSS news agency reported on late Saturday. The EC simultaneously sought the extra security for its field-level offices ahead of the 13th national election, as two of them came under attack in southeastern Lakshmipur and southwestern Pirojpur by unidentified miscreants after the announcement of the schedule for the upcoming polls on Thursday. The commission demanded an additional escort vehicle for the CEC, while one such police escort with a vehicle w

Awami League rejects Bangladesh election schedule, calls govt 'illegal'

The Awami League emphasised its legacy as an election-orientated party, noting that since its founding, it has participated in 13 national elections, winning nine and forming the government

Bangladesh's ex-PM Khaleda critical, exiled son uncertain of return

Her party has regained prominence after Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's long-serving former prime minister, was ousted in a student-led uprising last year

Bangladesh's ex-PM Hasina's party announces nationwide protests till Nov 30

Bangladesh's ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party on Tuesday announced nationwide agitations and "resistance marches" till November 30 in protest against the death sentence handed to the former premier by what it described as an "illegal" tribunal. On November 17, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) sentenced 78-year-old Hasina to death along with then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on charges of committing crimes against humanity after a trial held in absentia. Hasina is currently in India, while Kamal is also believed to be hiding in the country. In a post on its official social media account, the Awami League alleged that the tribunal's verdict was part of a political "conspiracy" by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government to keep Hasina and the party "out of the election" scheduled for February next year. Rejecting the "illegal verdict of the illegal ICT tribunal" and demanding the resignation of Yunus, the party announced protests, ...

Bangladesh needs reform, not old executioners and political vengeance

Elections are due in February - and whoever wins will have a mandate tainted by violence and weakened by the enforced absence of the League

Democracy key condition for my return to Bangladesh, says Sheikh Hasina

Ousted former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said her return home hinges on the restoration of "participatory democracy", lifting of the ban on the Awami League and the conduct of free, fair and inclusive elections. In an exclusive email interview to PTI from an undisclosed location in India, Hasina also accused the unelected Yunus administration of "endangering ties with India and empowering extremist forces". Contrasting her foreign policy with that of the current interim government, she said the broad and deep relationship between Dhaka and New Delhi should be able to withstand the "foolhardiness of the Yunus interlude. Hasina thanked the Indian government for providing her refuge and said she was immensely grateful to India's government and its people for their kind hospitality. The most important condition for my return to Bangladesh is the same condition that the Bangladeshi people require: a return to participatory democracy. The interim administration must resc

Yunus warns of internal, external attempts to thwart Bangladesh polls

Bangladesh's interim government chief Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday said he feared forces from home and abroad to thwart planned general elections over debarring deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League from contesting. Many forces from inside and outside the country will work to spoil the election. Many powerful forces, not minor ones, will attempt to thwart it. Sudden attacks may come, Yunus's press secretary Shafiqul Alam quoted him as saying at a high-level meeting on election preparedness. Chief Adviser Yunus, he said, told the meeting that the election will be challenging as various types of propaganda will be carried out in a planned manner from inside and outside the country. Yunus said AI-generated images and videos would also circulate online and on social media platforms, stressing immediate action to prevent the spread of such content. We must overcome them (obstacles), 85-year-old Yunus was quoted as saying. His comments coincided with Hasina's interview with

Bangladesh EC bars Sheikh Hasina, her family from voting in 2026 elections

The EC blocked the NIDs of Sheikh Hasina, including 10 members of her family, on February 16, the daily Jugantor reported

Bangladesh EC calls upcoming election 'most risky' in history amid unrest

Bangladesh's Election Commission (EC) on Friday described the national election scheduled for February next year as the "most risky in the country's electoral history, urging officials to brace for unpredictable challenges amid political uncertainty and social unrest. The remarks came a day after it unveiled a roadmap for the election, which has drawn mixed reactions from political parties. "The upcoming general election will undoubtedly be the most risky in Bangladesh's electoral history, Election Commissioner M Anwarul Islam Sarker said at a training programme for election officials, which was also attended by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin. "We may have to confront challenges that we do not yet know, he said. Unveiling the roadmap for the general election, Bangladesh's top electoral body had said the poll schedule would be announced at least 60 days before the voting date. Another election commissioner, Abdur Rahmanel Masud, echoed Sarker's concern, saying tha

Interim govt committed to holding polls in Feb 2026: Bangladesh adviser

Bangladesh's interim government is "unwavering" in its commitment to hold general elections in February next year, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul has said, according to media reports on Wednesday. "The government is moving forward with all preparations for the election," Nazrul was quoted as saying by the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS). "The polls will be held in February, and the government's stance on this remains unwavering," he said after a meeting at the Cabinet Division on Tuesday. The law adviser's comments came amid growing speculation over the elections, following statements by National Citizen Party leaders who dismissed the possibility of polls taking place in February next year without key reforms and the completion of trials initiated by the interim government. Commenting on the issue, Nazrul said that political parties making statements about the timing of the elections is part of the political process. "You have always seen this. Traditionally in Bangladesh, s

Bangladesh to hold next parliamentary polls in February 2026: Yunus

Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday announced that the next parliamentary election will be held in February next year. Yunus made the comments during a televised address to the nation on the first anniversary of last year's student-led protest movement, dubbed the "July Uprising", that toppled longtime prime minister Sheikh Hasina. "On behalf of the interim government, I will send a letter to the chief election commissioner requesting that the Election Commission hold the national election in February 2026, before the upcoming Ramzan," Yunus said while addressing the nation. The month of Ramzan is set to begin on February 17 or 18 next year. Earlier, general elections in Bangladesh were scheduled for the first half of April next year.