The nation’s prime minister-in-waiting Tarique Rahman (pic) called for all to remain united and dedicated his sweeping win to those who “sacrificed for democracy”. Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won a landslide victory in the elections on Thursday, the first since a deadly 2024 uprising ousted the iron-fisted rule of Sheikh Hasina. The BNP alliance won 212 seats, compared with 77 for the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance, according to the Electoral Commission. “Our paths and ­opinions may differ, but in the interest of the country, we must remain united,” Rahman said in his first speech since the election. “This victory belongs to Bangladesh, belongs to democracy, this victory belongs to people who aspired to and have sacrificed for democracy,” he said.

Source: The Star February 16, 2026 06:36 UTC