AFTER a turbulent 18 months, Bangladesh seems to be on track for a full return to democratic rule following Thursday’s general elections. As per the results at the time of writing, it appears that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party has won a landslide, capturing a two-thirds majority in parliament, with Tarique Rahman, scion of ex-PM Khaleda Zia, set to take up the reins of power. Voter turnout was close to 60pc. While there were reports of irregularities and some violence, the polls seem largely free and fair, and Dr Muhammad Yunus’s interim set-up has apparently managed the difficult exercise well. While the local wing of Jamaat-i-Islami and the newly formed National Citizen Party, the two biggest parties in parliament after the BNP, have expressed some reservations over the elections, it is likely that all will accept the results. Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, which was dethroned in the Aug 2024 uprising, was disallowed from contesting.

The BNP has a huge mandate and its real test will come as it starts to govern Bangladesh. It appears that Bangladeshi voters opted for a known entity by choosing the BNP over JI and the untested NCP. Mr Rahman and his party will now need to live up to the expectations of the Bangladeshi public, chiefly by improving the quality of life, and steering the economy through rough waters. Unless it delivers, it may face the wrath of the public, just as the Hasina regime did, particularly from young voters who are impatient for change. Balancing expectations and reality, therefore, will be a major test for the BNP. Moreover, for a full return to democracy, the new administration should consider rehabilitating the Awami League. No doubt the Hasina regime was involved in grave rights violations, and those found responsible should face justice. But the party as a whole should not be banned, as it has a history of popular support in the country.

Where relations with Pakistan are concerned, ties improved remarkably under the interim set-up in Dhaka. During Ms Hasina’s rule Islamabad-Dhaka relations were in a decidedly cool phase, due largely to the former Bangladesh PM’s negative attitude towards Pakistan, and her closeness to India. It is hoped that the BNP works to deepen bilateral ties. Both the president and prime minister have congratulated Tarique Rahman, and hopefully, as the new government takes power in Dhaka, economic and people-to-people ties will improve further. The elections offer Bangladesh a chance to start anew, leaving the turbulence and acrimony of the past behind. The road to stability will not be easy, but if the new dispensation works as per democratic principles, it can create better conditions for its own people, and more harmonious ties with South Asian neighbours.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2026