Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) headed by Tarique Rahman on Friday said that it has won a majority in landmark election and will form the next government. Citing provisional results, the Jamuna TV broadcaster says the BNP and its allies won 211 of the 299 constituency seats. The rival Jamaat-e-Islami alliance won 70 seats.
The new government will replace the interim administration, which took charge after the collapse of the Awami League regime in August 2024.
The voting for the 13th parliamentary elections was held along with a referendum on the implementation of a complex 84-point reform package, known as the July National Charter. The counting of votes began soon after voting concluded at 4:30 pm (local time). However, in places where voters were in line inside the polling station, voting continued until they voted.
Soon after voting concluded, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus thanked people for their participation in the general elections and the referendum.
সংখ্যাগরিষ্ঠ আসনে জয়ী হয়ে সরকার গঠন করতে যাচ্ছে বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল-বিএনপি।#BNP #BNPMediaCell#KhaledaZia #Zia #TariqueRahman pic.twitter.com/AWf18bswQI
— BNP Media Cell (@BNPBdMediaCell) February 12, 2026
"I call upon political parties and candidates to uphold democratic decency, tolerance and mutual respect even after the final results are announced. Differences of opinion will exist, but in the national interest, we must remain united," he said. "We will move forward collectively toward building an accountable, inclusive and justice-based state," he added. "Let's work together in this journey to strengthen democracy."
Yunus earlier described the elections and the referendum as a historic opportunity and said, "Let's celebrate the birthday of Bangladesh today."
Nearly 127 million voters were registered to cast their ballots, including five million first-time voters, across 42,779 polling centres in 299 out of 300 constituencies nationwide. The election in one constituency was cancelled due to the death of a candidate.
A total of 1,755 candidates from 50 political parties and 273 independents contested the election. The BNP fielded the highest number of 291 candidates. There are 83 female candidates.
It was Bangladesh's first election in decades without a female leader in the spotlight. Hasina is barred from contesting, and her arch-rival Khaleda Zia died in December after a prolonged illness. The two women dominated the country's politics for about four decades.
(with input from PTI)
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