Outlook Explainer: All You Want To Know About Bangladesh’s High-Stakes 2026 Elections

Bangladesh is set to conduct its first general election since the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in 2024 on Thursday, February 12, 2026. With 128 million eligible voters, this election will be a test for the return of democracy in the country, which has been governed by an unelected interim administration since the Hasina government was toppled. 

Here are some points to keep in mind as the country of 175 million goes to the polls. 

Parties to watch out for 

The Awami League's 15-year reign came to an end in 2024 with Hasina as Prime Minister, since then the party’s presence in Bangladesh has shrunk due to boycotting polls or being sidelined by mass arrests of senior leaders. The interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus subsequently banned the Awami League from engaging in political activity.

With the dominating Awami League now out of the running, its main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), stands strong. 

BNP and Awami League have been the two major parties of Bangladesh in the past. The BNP is currently being led by Tarique Rahman, the 60-year-old son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and former president Ziaur Rahman. 

The BNP promises financial aid for poor families, a 10-year cap on how long an individual can remain prime minister and other anti-corruption measures. Additionally, to solve the economic issues plaguing the country, the BNP promises to attract foreign investment to revive growth.

In most pre-poll surveys, the BNP alliance is the undeniable frontrunner. 

Apart from the BNP, other major parties include Jamaat-e-Islami, which is allied with the National Citizen Party (NCP), led by Gen Z activists. The Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami, banned for years under Hasina, has resurged since her fall and is contesting 224 seats. The NCP party was formed by student leaders of the 2024 uprising that ousted Sheikh Hasina.

Key issues 

As the nation heads to restore democracy, here are some of the key issues that will be required to be addressed by the future elected government. 

A recent opinion poll by the Dhaka-based Communication Research Foundation and Bangladesh Elections and Public Opinion Studies found corruption to be voters’ top concern. Bangladesh has long ranked among the world’s worst performers in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.

According to Reuters, both the frontrunning alliances have made tackling graft central to their campaigns, with Jamaat’s anti‑corruption image helping fuel its resurgence.

Inflation and economic recovery have emerged as key voter concerns. Inflation rose to 8.58 per cent in January, with more than two-thirds of respondents citing rising prices as a major worry. At the same time, economic development remains fragile: once among Asia’s fastest-growing economies, Bangladesh has struggled to regain momentum since the COVID-19 pandemic stalled its export-driven garments sector, a slowdown compounded by the 2024 protests that toppled Hasina and further disrupted growth.

An estimated 40 per cent of Bangladeshis under 30, the next government faces intense pressure to create jobs for millions of young people after months of instability.

July National Charter

Alongside the 13th Parliamentary Election, Bangladesh will also hold a nationwide referendum on the July National Charter. 

The July National Charter is a broad reform framework aimed at dismantling what its drafters describe as the country’s entrenched “autocratic structures.” Rather than a constitutional amendment, it functions as a political covenant endorsed by more than 25 parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, outlining a shared vision for institutional change ahead of the elections.

Its key pillars include limiting executive power through a proposed 10-year, two-term cap on the prime minister’s tenure; restructuring the legislature by introducing a bicameral parliament with a 100-member upper house; restoring judicial and electoral independence through the return of a neutral caretaker government and a strengthened Election Commission; and reinforcing fundamental rights, including legal recognition for the “July Fighters” of the 2024 uprising.

Voters will be presented with the questions: “Do you approve of the July National Charter (Constitution Amendment) Implementation Order, 2025, and the following proposals for constitutional reform as recorded in the July National Charter?” 

With only two options: either completely accept the charter or reject the whole package. If the majority vote “yes”, it is the duty of the newly elected Parliament to act as a Constituent Assembly for its first 180 days to formalise the Charter into constitutional law.

Bangladesh's election system

Bangladesh's national elections will be held on February 12. The next day, February 14 results will be announced. 

The Bangladesh Parliament, known as the Jatiya Sangsad, comprises 350 elected members for five-year terms. Out of the 350 elected representatives of their constituencies, the remaining 50 are reserved seats for women and are filled by a vote of the 300 members based on proportional representation.

With this election being the first since the toppling of Hasina’s 15-year reign, the nation is met with a democratic challenge to elect the next government and whether to pass a charter that has the potential to change the country’s political practices.