Bangladesh holds its first election since 2024 uprising, with Yunus leading interim government and a banned Awami League.

Bangladesh has begun campaigning for its first national election since the 2024 uprising that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, with voting set for February 12 under an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. The Awami League, Hasina’s former party, is banned from participating, leaving a 10-party alliance led by Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami and including the newly formed National Citizen Party—created by student protest leaders—as major contenders. BNP chairman Tarique Rahman, returning from 17 years in exile, is a leading candidate. The election also includes a non-binding referendum on the July National Charter, supported by 25 parties, which proposes term limits, anti-corruption measures, and stronger checks on power. Officials promise a fair vote despite concerns over security, political exclusion, and online disinformation.