Bangladesh launches campaigns for first post-Hasina elections

Bangladesh began official campaigning on Thursday for hugely anticipated general elections next month, the first since the 2024 uprising ended the autocratic rule of Sheikh Hasina.

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The South Asian nation of 170 million people votes on February 12 for 350 lawmakers, ushering in new leadership after prolonged political turmoil following the overthrow of Hasina’s government, reshaping domestic and regional power dynamics.

It comes against the backdrop of insecurity — including the murder last month of a student leader of the anti-Hasina protests — as well as warnings of a “flood” of online disinformation. European Union election observers say the vote will be the “biggest democratic process of 2026”.

Mass rallies are expected with hundreds of thousands of supporters gathering, as the frontrunners the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, formally launch their campaigns.