Dhaka/Islamabad: World leaders have begun congratulating the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) after it claimed a sweeping victory in Bangladesh’s first general elections since the 2024 uprising that ended the rule of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
With final results still pending, local television projections showed the BNP comfortably crossing the 150-seat threshold required for a majority in the 300-member parliament. Jamuna Television projected the party had secured 212 seats, while other broadcasters carried similar figures.
BNP leader Tarique Rahman is now poised to become prime minister, marking a dramatic political return for the party after 15 years in opposition.
Pakistan’s leadership sends detailed messages
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari extended his felicitations to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its leader, Tarique Rahman, on securing what he described as a landslide majority in the national elections and receiving the mandate to form the next government.
He congratulated the people of Bangladesh on the successful conduct of the polls across 299 seats with the participation of more than 127 million registered voters.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s support for the sovereignty and democratic aspirations of Bangladesh, Zardari said Pakistan looks forward to working with the new government to strengthen cooperation in trade, defence, cultural exchanges, and regional forums.
He said the elections in Bangladesh mark an opportunity for South Asia to move beyond past phases in which regional cooperation — including within the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) — was held hostage by India, which he said continues to paralyse the forum that was born in Bangladesh in 1985.
Zardari expressed hope that the new political environment in Dhaka would contribute to more balanced, independent, and mutually respectful engagement across the region. He conveyed his best wishes for the continued stability, progress, and prosperity of Bangladesh.
While congratulating Tarique Rahman, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warmly felicitated him on leading the BNP to a decisive victory in Bangladesh’s parliamentary elections and commended the people of Bangladesh for the successful conduct of the polls.
“I extend my warmest felicitations to Mr. Tarique Rahman on leading the BNP to a resounding victory in the Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh. I also congratulate the people of Bangladesh on the successful conduct of the elections.
Sharif said he looked forward to working closely with the new leadership in Dhaka to further strengthen the historic, brotherly and multifaceted bilateral relationship, and to advance shared objectives of peace, stability, and development in South Asia and beyond.
US congratulates BNP
The United States also congratulated the BNP and Rahman. In a statement, the US embassy in Dhaka said:
“Congratulations to the people of Bangladesh on a successful election and to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Tarique Rahman on your historic victory.
“The United States looks forward to working with you to realise shared goals of prosperity and security.”
BNP claims ‘sweeping victory.’
Earlier, the BNP formally claimed a “sweeping victory” in the elections — the first since the deadly 2024 uprising that led to Hasina’s ouster in August that year.
Rahman had told AFP two days before polling that he was “confident” his party would regain power in the South Asian nation of 170 million people.
“This victory was expected. It is not surprising that the people of Bangladesh have placed their trust in a party capable of realising the dreams that our youth envisioned during the uprising,” Salahuddin Ahmed, a senior BNP committee member, told AFP.
However, BNP leaders urged restraint, announcing there would be no victory rallies despite the scale of the win. Senior leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said special prayers would instead be held at mosques after Friday prayers across the country.
Islamic parties gain and reform vote
Television projections suggested that an Islamist-led coalition headed by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami had won around 70 seats — a significant increase from its past results, though short of an outright victory.
Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus, who has overseen the transition since Hasina’s removal, urged calm and unity as the country awaits final results.
“We may have differences of opinion, but we must remain united in the greater national interest,” Yunus said.
Voters also participated in a referendum on a proposed democratic reform charter aimed at introducing prime ministerial term limits, creating an upper house of parliament, enhancing presidential powers, and strengthening judicial independence. Early projections suggested support for the reforms.
Final official results were expected later on Friday.
