Bangladesh is set to hold its historic national election in February 2026, and the interim government is actively preparing all relevant agencies to ensure safe and fair elections.
While the exact schedule of the elections has yet to be announced, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has directed all agencies to finish all preparations in December.
Months after the interim government announced the elections next year, what are the current developments in the country’s election environment, and what has been achieved so far in its preparation?
New development: BNP’s Tarique Rahman announces return
Since the Awami League party’s downfall in July 2024, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has become the leading political party in Bangladesh, and many believe that the BNP will lead the elections.
After decades of self-exile, BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman has finally broken his silence and announced that he will return soon for the elections.
Rahman, the eldest son of former President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has been living in exile in London since September 2008.
And for the first time in nearly two decades, he has spoken to the media to say the time has come for him to return and take part in the election.
Rahman shared with the BBC that while he has been away from home for 17 years, he still managed to communicate with BNP leaders, activists, and ordinary people across the country in various ways since the responsibilities of the party had been assigned to him.
As the BNP is now the frontrunner in the elections, Rahman has high chances of becoming the next prime minister, if the party wins.
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EC vows ‘transparent as a mirror’ elections
The Election Commission (EC), headed by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, promised to hold the election “as transparent as a mirror.”
The EC has been fully preparing for the polls and has so far completed several important tasks, including updating the voter list.
According to Uddin, they have already identified 2.1 million deceased voters and enrolled more than 4.3 million eligible new voters.
The EC is also introducing IT-supported postal ballots for expatriates to ensure a transparent process.
Furthermore, it has vowed to maintain regular and transparent communication with the media.
Law and order preps
In August, Yunus asked all law-enforcing agencies to complete preparations by December for the elections.
He said law enforcement members are to be deployed to maintain law and order during the election period – before, during and after the polls.
The government will also secure 16,000 vulnerable polling stations by installing a CCTV monitoring network to ensure peaceful balloting.
Just recently, the government approved the procurement of body cameras for police use.
Nations pledge support for Bangladesh’s elections
More countries are expressing support for Dhaka as polls near.
Some have even offered funding to make the elections successful.
In July, Japan and the United Nations Development Program signed an agreement in a bid to secure the election process in the country.
Under the partnership, Japan will grant Bangladesh JPY695 million to enhance the institutional, technical and operational capacity of the EC.
Moreover, the European Union will also provide EUR4 million to the country, while it also promises to send technical experts to assess the country’s condition for the deployment of an election observation mission.
With the eyes of the world watching, Bangladesh’s preparations signal a hopeful step towards achieving true democracy.
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