Overview
- Voters head to the polls on Feb 12 for parliamentary elections overseen by an interim Muhammad Yunus administration, with the Awami League barred and a referendum on state reforms scheduled the same day.
- BNP is contesting 292 of 300 seats and is widely seen as the frontrunner, while Jamaat-e-Islami mounts a strong challenge bolstered by the Gen Z-led National Citizen Party alliance.
- The campaign’s final day featured large Dhaka rallies by BNP’s Tarique Rahman and Jamaat’s Shafiqur Rahman under heavy police deployment and drone monitoring.
- Rights monitors report a sharp rise in political violence, including at least 195 deaths and more than 11,000 injuries over 17 months, as clashes continue near the vote.
- Exiled former leader Sheikh Hasina urges a boycott under “No Boat, No Vote,” and observers say the result could shift Dhaka’s regional alignments with India, China and Pakistan.