Bangladesh Approaches Crucial General Election on Feb. 12
The upcoming vote, the first since the 2024 mass uprising that led to the removal of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is taking place in an environment marked by weakened institutions and fragmented political alliances.
Since the election schedule was announced on December 11, at least 16 political leaders and activists have been killed across the country, according to reports. Local human and legal rights groups documented 401 incidents of political violence in the previous year, resulting in 102 deaths and 4,744 injuries.
Police data highlights a major security concern ahead of the elections: of the 5,763 firearms looted during the uprising, 1,333 remain unaccounted for.
The polls are being conducted under an interim administration following Hasina’s government collapse in August 2024. Citizens will vote both to elect a new parliament and on reforms intended to prevent a return to authoritarian rule.
Political competition is concentrated among the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizens Party (NCP), the latter formed by student leaders from the anti-Hasina July Uprising. Meanwhile, the interim government has barred Hasina’s Awami League from participating in the elections.
Groups that once united against the former government are now competing against each other, turning the election into a high-stakes contest over reform, political legitimacy, and control of the state.
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