BNP Claims Landslide Win in Bangladesh Elections as Officials Await Final Results

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Friday declared victory in Bangladesh’s general elections, claiming a commanding majority, even as election authorities are yet to formally announce results for the 300-seat National Parliament.

Speaking in Dhaka, BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters that the party had secured a two-thirds majority in the polls.

The party also said, in a statement posted on Facebook, that it had been “elected in a large number of seats” in the 13th National Parliament elections, while urging supporters to refrain from celebrations pending official confirmation.

Bangladesh held the elections on Thursday, the first national vote since the 2024 popular uprising that forced the removal of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Her party, the Awami League, was barred from participating in the polls.

However, the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance challenged the credibility of the vote count, expressing dissatisfaction with the process and threatening protests if alleged irregularities are not addressed.

Local broadcaster Channel24 TV reported that the BNP was leading with 212 seats, while the Jamaat-led bloc had secured 76 seats.

The Bangladesh Election Commission said voter turnout stood at 59.44 percent—significantly higher than the 41.8 percent recorded in the disputed January 2024 elections, which were boycotted by the BNP-Jamaat opposition. More than 127.6 million citizens were eligible to vote in Thursday’s exercise, which also featured a referendum on constitutional reforms.

The election was largely peaceful, although at least nine deaths were reported from various incidents nationwide.

Following the BNP’s victory claim, regional leaders, including officials from India, Malaysia and Pakistan, sent congratulatory messages to BNP leader Tarique Rahman.

Official results from election authorities are still awaited.