Bangladesh is holding a crucial election that comes after a turbulent period marked by mob violence, rising religious intolerance, attacks on the press, the growing influence of Islamists and weakening of the rule of law. Tarique Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is widely seen as the front-runner in the polls.
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Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyInspired by Picasso, an AP photographer visualizes a blind person ‘seeing’ art'Ticking environmental time bomb.' Illegal cannabis farms poison California’s forests.Worries about flying seem to be taking off. Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyFDA to reassess the safety of BHA, a preservative used in popular snack foodsMeta and YouTube to face claims of social media addiction in children in landmark trialRelationship experts and couples say romance doesn't need grand gestures to thriveCatholic cross like no other is a beacon of unity in Olympic host city Milan“God bless America”: por qué el show de medio tiempo de Bad Bunny resonó más allá de EEUU Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyInspired by Picasso, an AP photographer visualizes a blind person ‘seeing’ art'Ticking environmental time bomb.' Illegal cannabis farms poison California’s forests.Worries about flying seem to be taking off. Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyFDA to reassess the safety of BHA, a preservative used in popular snack foodsMeta and YouTube to face claims of social media addiction in children in landmark trialRelationship experts and couples say romance doesn't need grand gestures to thriveCatholic cross like no other is a beacon of unity in Olympic host city Milan“God bless America”: por qué el show de medio tiempo de Bad Bunny resonó más allá de EEUUTarique Rahman, the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party , attends an election rally ahead of national election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb. 8, 2026. Head of the Bangladesh’s interim government and Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus attends an event during where the signing of a political charter called July National Charter was announced, outside Bangladesh’s national parliament complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Oct. 17, 2025. Protesters celebrate at the Parliament House premise after news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Aug. 5, 2024. National Citizen Party convener Nahid Islam, left, talks to Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman during an election rally in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb. 9, 2026. Roksana Anzuman Nicole, a popular Dhaka talk-show host, talks to The Associated Press in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Feb. 5, 2026. Tarique Rahman, the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party , attends an election rally ahead of national election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb. 8, 2026. Tarique Rahman, the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party , attends an election rally ahead of national election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb. 8, 2026. Head of the Bangladesh’s interim government and Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus attends an event during where the signing of a political charter called July National Charter was announced, outside Bangladesh’s national parliament complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Oct. 17, 2025. Head of the Bangladesh’s interim government and Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus attends an event during where the signing of a political charter called July National Charter was announced, outside Bangladesh’s national parliament complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Oct. 17, 2025. Protesters celebrate at the Parliament House premise after news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Aug. 5, 2024. Protesters celebrate at the Parliament House premise after news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Aug. 5, 2024. National Citizen Party convener Nahid Islam, left, talks to Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman during an election rally in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb. 9, 2026. National Citizen Party convener Nahid Islam, left, talks to Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman during an election rally in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb. 9, 2026. Roksana Anzuman Nicole, a popular Dhaka talk-show host, talks to The Associated Press in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Feb. 5, 2026. Roksana Anzuman Nicole, a popular Dhaka talk-show host, talks to The Associated Press in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Feb. 5, 2026. , the son of a former prime minister of Bangladesh, returned to the country in December after 17 years of self-imposed exile, he declared to his supporters: “I have a plan.”was seemingly adrift under an interim administration as it inched closer to a nationwide poll. Many Bangladeshis felt his return offered the country a new chance. His fiercest rival, the former Prime Minister. He restated his ambitions at a campaign rally in Dhaka on Monday, arriving at the podium under heavy security as supporters spilled into a public park, dancing and cheering. “The main goal and objective of this plan is to change the fate of the people and of this country,” he told the crowd., attacks on the press, the rise of Islamists and the fraying of the rule of law. A fair election will be a major challenge. Governing in its aftermath may prove an even sterner test for democratic institutions weakened by more than a decade of disputed polls and shrinking political space.“An election with relatively little violence in which people are able to vote freely and all sides accept the outcome would be a significant step forward,” said Thomas Kean of the International Crisis Group, a think tank devoted to resolving conflicts. Yet he cautioned that the restoration of democracy, after facing severe strains under Hasina’s rule, would be a long-term challenge.Rahman — the 60-year-old son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia — has been promising job creation, greater freedom of speech, law and order, and an end to corruption. His campaign seeks to portray him as a bulwark of democracy in a political landscape long dominated by entrenched parties, military coups and vote rigging. Though Rahman never held office in his mother’s governments, many Bangladeshis saw him as wielding considerable influence within her Bangladesh Nationalist Party until BNP’s main opponent is an 11-party coalition led by Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s foremost Islamist party, still shadowed by its collaboration with Pakistan during the 1971 war of independence. On Monday, its chief Shafiqur Rahman told supporters at a rally that the alliance has come together “with the dream of building a new Bangladesh.”and calling on its supporters to stay away, Jamaat-e-Islami is seeking to expand its reach. The conservative party claims it would govern with restraint if elected to power, but its ascent has sparked unease, particularly over its views on women. The party chief has said women are biologically weaker than men and should not work eight hours a day like men, raising fears it could restrict the fundamental rights of women.Anxieties over Bangladesh’s future are echoed particularly by those who were part of the uprising that paved the way for the election.assumed office three days after Hasina’s ouster, there was optimism among many. Later, student leaders of the uprising launched a new political outfit, theTasnim Jara, a public health expert who resigned from the NCP and is running as an independent candidate, said the uprising had “opened a window” for people like her to enter politics and help reshape its culture. But that hope faded once the NCP aligned itself with the Islamists. She said it became hard for her to see how a genuinely new political culture that many in Bangladesh have long sought could emerge from such an arrangement. “I struggled to see how a new political culture could genuinely thrive within that framework,” she said. Arafat Imran, a student at Dhaka University, said he joined the uprising expecting change, but feels that the aspirations that led to the protests “have not been realized.” Imran noted that though the uprising brought new political faces, the core machinery of the state — the military, police and bureaucracy — remains largely unchanged. True reform or meaningful change, Imran said, would require overhauling the entire system, adding that “holding elections every five years alone cannot sustain democracy.” “Alongside elections, it is essential to guarantee the rule of law and civil rights. Had these been ensured, there might have been grounds for satisfaction regarding the elections,” he said.Worries have also spilled into other areas crucial to a healthy democracy. Roksana Anzuman Nicole, a popular Dhaka talk-show host, became a rare media voice during the uprising, challenging security forces as hundreds were killed on the streets.also faded. Nicole is now off air, confined to her home, and fearful for her safety after a heated debate with a guest defending mob attacks led to threats against her, her family and colleagues. “A major pillar of that movement was the belief that everyone would be able to speak freely, that people would enjoy freedom of expression. Sheikh Hasina left on August 5, and just 10 days later, my dreams collapsed,” she said. Her experience is shared by others too. In December, a pro-uprising cultural activist was shot dead in central Dhaka, and protesters set fire to the offices of the country’s two largest newspapers, trapping staff inside. Last week, 21 journalists from an online outlet reporting critically on the military were briefly detained. Many journalists told The Associated Press they have curtailed their movements or stopped going to work altogether. Many have lost their jobs as they have been branded by pro-uprising activists as collaborators of Hasina. Global human rights groups have expressed their concerns over press freedom under the Yunus-led administration. “A free press is vital for a flourishing democracy,” said Catherine Cooper of the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, one of the groups observing the election. “Protecting freedom of expression should be a top priority.”Many Bangladeshis are putting their trust in the election. The vote will also include a referendum for political reforms that include prime ministerial term limits and stronger checks on executive power.Iftekhar Zaman, a Bangladeshi political analyst, said for the first time in 16 years, Bangladeshis will have a genuine chance to vote, after three elections under Hasina were marred by allegations of rigging or opposition boycotts. He described the poll as “extraordinary,” but warned that reinforcing democratic institutions would take time. Kean of the International Crisis Group said while some of the proposed reforms are “significant and meaningful,” they won’t be enough. “The political culture has to change as well, and we are only seeing the first signs of that,” he said.Saaliq covers news across India and the South Asia region for The Associated Press, often focusing on politics, democracy, conflict and religion. He is based in New Delhi.
Thomas Kean Bangladesh General News Khaleda Zia Muhammad Yunus Rebellions And Uprisings 2026 Elections Bangladesh Government Democracy Voting International News Asia Pacific Send To Apple News South Asia Religion And Politics Tasnim Jara World News Roksana Anzuman Nicole Politics Elections Islam Riots World News
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